Week 9 – Understanding Meditation and its Purpose

Celebration of Discipline Bible Study
Prepared by: Rev. Willetta Ar-Rahmaan
Week 9 – Understanding Meditation and its Purpose

In our last lesson we completed an in-depth look at Spiritual Growth Development as it compares to Human Development. This brief detour from Foster’s book was taken to prepare us for the rest of the disciplines needed and how these disciplines helps us get to the reproduction stage in Spiritual Maturity. Of course there are many books on spiritual maturity and as time prolongs, a list of helpful books will be identified for each lesson. Let us journey onward into Meditation.

When we hear the word meditation we often recall or reflect on images of sitting on the floor doing yoga or legs crossed with our hands in a praying position. We may think about the sounds people make as they meditate. These are some of the ways people understand meditation especially in the Western Culture. When we mention meditation people will also assume we are talking about Yoga, Buddism or Hinduism. However, “the difference between Christian meditation and Buddhist meditation is that the former is oriented to an object (the encounter of the perceptible world and the self-revealing God; → Revelation), whereas the latter expressly has no object.”

Prior to opening Foster’s chapter on mediation here’s a few definitions to help unravel the mystery of meditation. First we must recognize that meditation is active and according to Webster’s dictionary it is “a discourse intended to express its author’s reflections or to guide others in contemplation.” Therefore when we meditate on scripture we are reflecting on what the author/writer of was saying during that time so that we can interpret, make plain and unpack it for modern revelation. Meditation also draws us to study and marvel a little while longer. For example have you found yourself in awe and fully focused on God’s creation that you forgot about everything and everyone around you except for that one thing that has you full attention? That is deep meditation, the meditation of study. According to O. Haendler (1890–1981), all healthy people meditate. When we know astonishment or wonder, when a word or event grips us, when we look at a picture or at something beautiful and it touches us (→ Aesthetics), we have an experience close to meditation. Haendler views meditation as “the living activity of our most inward mental and spiritual organs, with which we apprehend life’s reality and achieve the depth and power and essentiality of our own being” (p. 13).

Let us look at another definition of meditation, “the word “meditation” or its verb form, “to meditate,” is found mainly in the Old Testament. The Hebrew words behind this concept mean “to murmur,” “a murmuring,” “sighing,” or “moaning.” These are the scriptures of the OT that focus on meditation: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Psalm. 4:4; Psalm 19:14; Psalm 39:3; Psalm 49:3; Psalm 63:5, 6; Psalm 73:12–22; Psalm 77:10–12; Psalm 104:34; Psalm 119:11, 16, 23, 48, 55, 59, 78, 97–99,148; Psalm 139:17, 18; Psalm 143:5
As we think about the characters and people of the OT they knew what mediation was and how it was done.

During my research I found that many of us only understand or see mediation as something being done for relaxation or a cultural practice for many in the Middle East. So before we think meditation is not for us, take the time to review the above scriptures and these from the NT Luke 21:14, 1 Timothy 4:15, Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2. In our meditation moment were put our faith to work asking God to reveal situations and scripture that have grab our attention but will not let us go until we are able to re-interpret it in a practical way. Take the time to really focus on the scriptures and think about what meditation means to you. There are two assignments to ponder this week, the fun assignment and the going deeper questions.

Fun assignment: Perform a GOOGLE search on the word meditation. How many sites referred you to Christian mediation? What was the focus of the meditation and what were the suggestions for mediation?

Going Deeper:
1. Are we fearful of meditation because it is practiced in other cultures and religions? Why?
2. What are some ways you can revive meditation as a Christian?