Meditating on a Bible verse is one of the best ways to allow God’s word to go deep into your heart. I am excited to share some effective techniques that will help you draw closer to Jesus.

The word meditation is overused in our culture today.

It might be used to imply a technique for eastern religions like Hindi or it might be used by those who passionately follow Jesus.

In eastern religions, the meaning of the word meditation has to do with the practice of training the mind to a mode of consciousness in order to realize a benefit.

If you are a Christian, that benefit will come through hiding God’s Word in your heart.

If you Google the word, meditation, you are more likely to find it explained in the following ways:

• It is NOT about becoming a different person!
• It is NOT about becoming a new person!
• It is about training in awareness!
• It is learning to observe thoughts and feelings without judgment!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation . The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Meditation is also typically known for providing:

• Stress reduction!
• Peacefulness!
• Calm!
• and Less discomfort or pain!

Yet, meditating in this way provides only temporary relief of mind and spirit. You are looking inside your body instead of looking to the One who IS the Peace and Calm for your soul.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Jesus promises these characteristics to be lasting when we meditate on Scripture!

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 111:11

Slow Down and Meditate!

When you spend time with Jesus, do you feel pressed for time and speed-read through several chapters so you can read your Bible in a year?

I was doing that last year until I finally got tired of feeling the guilt. I started slowing my pace so that I would be intentional about my personal walk with the Lord.

There is an amazing thing that happens when you slow your pace down and meditate on a phrase of Scripture.

I’d like to give you some tools to incorporate into your daily devotions to encourage you to go deeper with Jesus.

I will give you some suggestions as well as some resources to choose from.

I like to keep it simple without my study going above my head, so have no worries, this isn’t something that will prepare you for theological seminary!

40 Days of Joy Through Philippians

Slowing down has meant that I took a few verses to meditate on each day.

DOWNLOAD this Philippians Bible Reading Plan

I have been using the Bible Reading Plans available through my own blog to read each day.

They keep me focused on something without randomly searching for what I will study each day.

They give me accountability especially since other women are following the same chart in my Jesus Journaling group on Facebook.

Each day for 8 weeks, I have been working through the book of Philippians.

I start by writing out the verses in a notebook and then illustrating it through Bible journaling.

I bought this notebook at Walmart

I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. Philippians 2:28-30

Something about slowing down to copy out a Bible verses switches on Biblical mediation so that you are putting the thoughts God into your mind.

It is not an emptying of your mind.

It is not a relaxation technique that rewires your mind and body. Instead, it is a filling of the Holy Spirit and placing God’s thoughts into your very being.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Jeremiah 29:11

Emptying Yourself and Filling Up with Christ

I said it was not an emptying of yourself or mind, we are to be imitators of Christ.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:7-8

Our lives are to be a reflection of Jesus in how He emptied Himself in order to serve others.

Tools for Christian Meditation

Christian meditation isn’t about spending your whole Quiet Time with Jesus in meditation.

There are several components that make up your time with Jesus. There isn’t a ‘rule’ that says you must utilize each of these every single day in each of your Quiet Times.

• Praise and Gratitude!
• Worship and Adoration!
• Reading your Bible!
• Meditation and Memorizing!
• Prayer and Supplication!

Those are some of the things you might do during your time with Jesus. You might not get around to all of those all in one day. This isn’t church!

But . . . since we are talking about meditation today, we will list off a few tools that you might like to try. I don’t do all of them in one day and to tell the truth, I probably don’t use a commentary most of the time.

1. Write out Bible verses
2. Write out my ‘Observations’
3. Write out my ‘Application
4. Memorize verses using Scripture Memory Cards!
5. Use BibleHub.com to look up a verse, see cross-references, etc. (a favorite)
6. Use the Logos Software App!
7. Gill Commentary! (easier to undertand)
8. Matthew Henry Commentary (goes over my head mostly)!
9. Cross-references right in your Bible!
10. Use the study Bible of your choice!

Those are enough ideas to get you started in understanding the verse or verses that you are studying.

Christian meditation is not chanting one word or sound over and over but instead repeating or thinking about a Bible verse and allowing God to renew and transform your mind.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

Do you meditate and if so, how do you go about doing it? Do you agree with what you just read?

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