Before You Pray, Ponder
Psalm 1 opens the prayer book and song book of the bible with really good wisdom. Here are the first 3 verses.
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers.
What comes to mind when you hear the word, "meditation"?
For many believers this might not be clear and be confused with practices that don't resemble faith as we know it. Images of chanting monks or of yogis sitting cross-legged and entranced, or some other image you might reject. The reality is that for Jesus followers, meditation is to be a normal spiritual discipline that bridges our study of the bible to prayer and then action. Let me explain.
To know more of who God is and what a life of faith for us looks like, it is helpful to be in the book for as many of the days of the week as you can spare. Having a reading plan with a study Bible or a commentary will open up new understandings about life and faith. You will discover new stuff every time you read and pay attention to the message. No one needs to be a scholar or have attended some Bible school to get more than you will ever have time to put into action if you just purpose to read broadly in the book.
Meditation is simply taking what you have discovered and chewing on it. Pondering. Wondering. Rolling it over and over in your quiet mind as the psalmists say, day and night. At this point the Spirit can use the words to work into your heart truth that changes a life. That looks like pondering the meanings and applications of what you read earlier in the day. It can be asking questions of yourself, like...
What does this say about God and who he is and how he is at work in our world?
Where have windows opened showing my falling short of what the book calls for that I must address? Confession and change?
How is the world seen in this passage differently than how I see the world?
What actions can I reasonably take in light of this reading to move my faith-life forward?
The outcome of meditation can be seen in verse 3 above, where that person is likened to a tree unaffected by drought because of the streams that feed it, and that produces fruit in season, just as its design expects without any wilting along the way. That stands as a fine promise for the person who grows in their ability to meditate. That one will be fed and sustained by God's input, like a stream, and no challenge can wither that life. It is not enough to just study and know, or even teach, what this calls for is bringing the message in close to one's heart and to let it do its work in a life.
Let's take an example: You are minding your own business while reading along in the book of Romans and you get to chapter 8.
There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
You discover in the text an amazing piece of good news, and maybe also hear it taught in church and can think, "How wonderful to be forgiven! This is great." But that falls short of gaining the most out of the text for life. Meditation takes what we learn and we face our real selves in light of it. When we get past reveling in what God has done, we talk to ourselves, at times even harshly.
Let me ponder in wonder a God who knows me intimately yet forgives me thoroughly.
If I am really forgiven and under no condemnation; if I am really that loved and free, what differences might that make in how I live?
Who have I not forgiven and continue to condemn, and need to forgive just as I have been?
What am I afraid of since God's seal of approval is on me?
Meditation takes what we know and throws it into the mental grist mill and works it over and over. At this place the Holy Spirit, who indwells you, uses the knowledge and your time like a crock pot, slowly simmering the truth into all the cracks of your heart.
Now, we are ready to pray. With a heart tenderized with understanding, prayer reflects what our growing edge might be at that moment. Prayer times are transformed from the lists of needs and people we want God to surely not forget, into a conversation with him that sees these desires through the lens of what the Spirit has been doing through our meditation. This practice puts a believer on the same page as God, and can springboard a person into action, applying what has been kneaded into the heart.
Meditation has stood as a spiritual discipline since the church began. Start small, with maybe just a verse you know well. Possibly memorize it or write it on a slip of paper. Mull it over as your day unfolds. Then pray over what you learned about God, yourself and your world. Then do it again tomorrow. Over time your roots will sink deeper toward the streams of water and you will more and more bear fruit in your season, and your leaves will not wither.
Now, that's good news! Give it a try.
Music for the week...
...and a couple of bad jokes for the road
The accountant for the law firm of Dewey, Cheatham & Howe was retiring after working for the firm for seventeen years. Cheatham was interviewing applicants, and was disappointed, as only three had even bothered to send in a resume.
After looking over the application of the first, an accountant with six years experience at Goldman Sachs, he called the first applicant in, and asked the woman what 2 plus 2 was.
She answered, "Four."
Cheatham said he would call her if she was selected.
The second candidate was a CPA from Harvard, and at the end of the interview he was asked the same question, "What is two and two?"
The CPA replied, "Four." Cheatham told him that he would call the young man if he was selected.
The third applicant was a recently-graduated philosophy major. Cheatham figured that this wasn't going to go anywhere, but thought, "What the hey? I've got nothing to lose."
He interviewed the young man quickly and asked, "I know you don't have an accountancy background, but can you tell me what two plus two is?"
To which the philosophy major replied, "Can you tell me what would you want it to be?"
And was hired on the spot.
__________
A professor gave a big exam to his students.
When he collected the papers, one student had attached a $100 bill with a note saying: "A dollar per point."
The next day the student got his test score and $64 change.