Dennis Burke - How to meditate Gods word

Contents

What It Means to Meditate

There is a great difference between fact and truth. The truth in God's Word is more than just fact.

A theological fact will remain totally unassociated and detached from a person's life. Truth, however, is alive, creative, and life-changing.

When a person begins to allow the Word of God to mold his thoughts and activities, he will start moving out of a life of theological fact and into a warm, spiritual, life-giving understanding of truth.

Meditation in the Word of God is one of the greatest keys to obtaining understanding and truth.

Some Eastern religions teach that meditation is allowing your mind to become completely blank and empty, but that is far from the truth. To meditate is to fill your thoughts with the thoughts of God, to be consumed with the things God has said. When you become consumed with what He has said, it becomes effortless to do the things He said to do.

The Psalmist David said it this way:

I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation (Ps. 119:99).

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple (Ps. 119:130).

Meditation is not intended merely to produce more knowledge, but also to give an understanding of God, of His ways and His Word.

When you begin to meditate the Word of God, you will have illumination and the understanding of how to walk in what God is revealing to you.

Joshua 1:8 is a classic scripture on meditation:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

One purpose of meditation is to place you in a position of "doing" God's Word. Joshua said meditation day and night will cause you to "observe to do" all that is written. You must observe before you can do. You will see into the Word and revelation knowledge will come, enabling you to act according to what you have seen. True meditation will bring you to the place of responding to God's Word with action. Faith demands action. The results of meditating day and night are wonderful! Joshua 1:8 says,

... for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Notice God said, Thou shalt make thy way prosperous. God is not going to make your way prosperous. You make your way prosperous.

God cannot do the Word for you. No one else can do it for you. But once you become a doer of God's Word, you will begin to prosper for yourself.

God has already released His power in order for you to live a life of prosperity and success. His success is available now.

This verse in Joshua is the only place in the King James Version of the Bible that records the word success. God is linking your success together with your commitment to His Word. If you will meditate in His Word and be a doer of the Word, success is inevitable.

Notice 1 Timothy 4:15 which says,

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

As the Word of God takes preeminence in your life, you will profit. You will increase. You will become more productive.

God wants the world to see what He has done in you. He wants your success and stability to appear to all those with whom you come into contact. He wants your progress to become evident to all those around you. You will become a living example of the true nature of God. He is a loving God and a giving Father. Just as Jesus was "the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature we are to be like Him. (Heb. 1:3, NASB.)

Give yourself completely over to what God has said. Become totally engrossed in His commandments. Commit yourself to them.

Some have experienced the most frustrating time of their lives by earnestly desiring the results the Word will produce, but neglecting to do what the Word instructs.

Hearing the fact that you have rights as a believer is an exciting message. However, without meditating in the Word of God observing to do all that is written thereinyou will never enjoy the privileges that are rightfully yours. No one receives the results of faith without the commitment to live by faith. Only committed, diligent people receive rewards. (Heb. 11:6.)

When you give yourself wholly to meditation in God's Word, God becomes the guarantee of your profit! God is getting actively involved with your life. When you wholly commit to God, He wholly commits to you.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3

Once again, here are instructions to meditate day and night. The person who will follow these instructions will prosper in everything he does. The person who meditates on God's Word day and night becomes overtaken by God's blessings. He becomes a success at whatever he sets his hand to do. He is linked to his life Source, so that his leaf does not wither or fade, even in times of drought.

When God's Word is your delight, you are immovable. You are like a tree planted firmly. You will become a source of strength to those in need. That is true prosperity.

How to Meditate God's Word

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!

There are various avenues in which to meditate the Word of God. In this chapter we will discuss some of these avenues. 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.

Have you ever lost something and asked yourself, "Now where did I leave it? Where was the last place I remember seeing it?"