In Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 God said that we are to meditate "day and night." How is that done? Many times people have had the idea that meditation must be reading their Bibles.

There are people who have quit their jobs so they could stay home to read their Bibles, but it has only resulted in failure. God's Word says, "if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10); and, "If any provide not for his own, he is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8).

It is not possible to read your Bible day and night. Even if you could make it through one twenty-four-hour day, that would be all you could handle. No one can continue reading day and night and expect to get anything else done in his life.

To live by faith does not mean, "quit your job." If a person is not successful in living by faith with a job, then he will never be successful in living by faith without a job.

God is aware of the fact that we have personal responsibilities, yet He has still instructed us to meditate day and night. Does this mean that God is unconcerned about our personal responsibilities? Is this commandment so unreasonable? No!

I want to discuss with you the various avenues in which to meditate the Word of God. As we do, I want you to keep in mind that meditation is not just reading your Bible. However, in order to meditate, you must have a time of study and reading. Everything you meditate must originate from the Word of God.

Three Ways To Meditate

1) Mutter God's Word
Remember, Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth." This does not mean you are to keep the Word in your mouth, but rather you are to speak it out your mouth. It should not be away from your lips at any time. Continually speak it.

Everyone knows how to mutter. To mutter means to speak things quietly or under your breath, speaking to yourself, regardless of whether people are present to hear you. You may mutter while you are driving your car, or maybe while you are shopping.

There is power in the Word of God, and you need that power working in you and affecting your entire life. Mutter to yourself like this:

"My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. God meets my needs, not according to my need, but according to His riches. That is abundance."

"Jesus, You said that You came that I might have life and have it more abundantly. You are the great El Shaddai, the God Who is more than enough to meet my every need."

That is meditating on God's provision, based on what He has already promised. This will begin to affect your outlook. You are meditating on God's abundant supply and on the fact that you are a child that your heavenly Father provides for.

When you remember who this God is that lives inside you, you are, in fact, meditating on Him. He is a faithful God; He will be faithful to you when you walk in his Word. He is a merciful God; His mercy endures forever. He is a God of abundance; He has given all that He has to you.

Meditation on Him will bring your mind and emotions under control. Your soul will become satisfied as you mutter to yourself of the abundance of God.

This is the most powerful tool to use to keep control of your mind. Many times your mind will begin to waver. You will question whether you are going to make through this problem. But if you will meditate and mutter on who God is and what He has promised you, your mind will have to be quiet long enough to hear what your mouth is saying.

The Word of God coming out your mouth will change your attitude toward the situation. You will begin to take on the renewed mind of Christ. You will begin to think in line with God's thoughts of possibility, not your ideas of failure.

2) Speak Aloud
It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word in Joshua 1:8 translated meditate is rendered "to speak" in the following verses:

"For the mouth shall speak (or meditate) truth" (Prov. 8:7).

"And my tongue shall speak (or meditate) of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long" (Ps. 35:28).

"The mouth of the righteous speaketh (meditate) wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment" (Ps. 37:30).

When you are speaking to others of the great God you serve, the wonderful things He has done, and the immense wisdom He possesses, you are actually involved in meditation. It is beneficial for you to hear how God has moved on behalf of another person.

You can witness, before your eyes, someone who has received God's miracle power; and if God will do it for someone else, He will do it for you. Speak God's Word to one another. Talk of His faithfulness.

Ephesians 5:19 expresses it this way: "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord."

Speaking to one another will cause your whole man to be edified. This is building up one another in the Word of God. Fellowship is so vitally important among believers. People need to hear of the wondrous works of God.

They need to hear that God is still a miracle-working God. The world needs to hear that God is still in the healing business. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony" (Rev. 12:11).

Never allow shyness or timidity to hold you back. Refuse to be dominated by a spirit of fear.

Talking of God's doings is meditating His Word. Meditation and the words you speak are directly linked. Whatever is in your heart in abundance will come out your mouth.

Worry is a form of meditation. However, it is not meditating on what God says; it is meditating on what the news says, or what people say, or what could happen.

Speaking the Word does not mean that you only speak in chapter and verse. But it does mean that what you speak is uplifting, edifying, and in line with what God has said.

3) Muse
To muse means to "ponder, consider, and study closely." This is the aspect of meditation that most people are aware of: taking hold of a promise or a truth and going over it again and again; not going over it in order to memorize it, but squeezing out all the richness; thinking on it and allowing it to wash through your inner man.

The most vivid illustration I can give of musing is a cow chewing her cud. A cow grazes through the pasture, finds an abundance of tasty grass, chews it, and finally swallows it. Later, up comes the chewed grass to chew again (I know what you're thinking…but you have to admit - it is a good example!).
Each time the cow brings up the old cud and chews it; she is refining it and making it more and more a part of her system. She chews all the nutrients out of it; the stems and stalk are removed until it is consumed into her body.

This is the most descriptive, powerful example of meditation. Treat the Word of God just as a cow chews her cud. Feed on a scripture over and over again, swallow it, then bring it back up again, going over it again and again. Each time you chew on it, you are demanding all the nutrients out of it, making it more and more a part of your being.

This is the meat of meditation. Bible reading is like the potatoes in your spiritual diet. You must have meat in your diet to remain healthy. The meat comes as you chew on a promise. Let it circulate through you. Squeeze the life of God from it.

This will bring the greatest discovery of revelation knowledge you have ever known. As you meditate, you will receive fresh revelation for yourself. There is no substitute for knowing you have heard form the Holy Spirit. There is no replacement for time spent in meditation and fellowship with God.

He will become intimate with you. This is the desire of God: to have an intimate relationship with His children. The Apostle James said, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8).

Source: How to Meditate God's Word by Dennis Burke
Excerpt permission granted by Dennis Burke Ministries