August 11 I Wednesday

Psalms 81-83

Romans 11:19-36

“…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.”   —Psalm 1:2

In recent years, our culture has taken a surge in the practice of meditation. In fact, mindful meditation has become a common practice in different schools of counseling. As I have studied and done a surface dive into mindfulness meditation, it has a calming effect. Because we live in such a fragmented society, our minds are always rushing to the next thing. Some of us need the invitation to slow down our minds, slow down our breathing and be present in the moment.

      Science has proven that there are benefits to meditation. If we practice meditation for about six weeks, we could experience reduced stress and an increase in focus; it could also bring a reduction in bodily pain, anxiety as well as depression. Some forms of meditation are not bad in and of themselves. Some Christian counselors use mindfulness meditation with their clients to help them slow down their life.

      What we need to be careful of is that some of these schools of meditation actually have their connection to Eastern mysticism and can be gateways into that form of religion. We see in Scripture that Satan can masquerade himself in religious clothing as Paul writes, “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Our culture desires to harmonize all the world religions and advocate whether we are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist, practicing meditation can lead to the same god. Hence, I want to make a disclaimer: I believe that God can reach into any world religion and meet someone there, or He can meet them through the practice of meditation, but He will lead them to a deeper understanding of who He is and ultimately, to Jesus Christ Himself. To advocate that all paths lead to the same god is not true, but God will meet people in different paths and lead them to the truth of who He is. 

      Psalm 1:1-2 tells us, “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.” The word “meditate” in Hebrew is hagah, which means, “to utter a noise, to moan, to kind of groan.” Imagine taking a bite from a meal and responding, “Mmm, this tastes so delicious!” As we meditate and consume God’s Word, we groan with delight and satisfaction. It is not simply a surface skimming of Scripture, but a deep dive into chewing, consuming and immersing ourselves in the truth of who God says we are and His plans for our life.

      Do we groan with delight as we meditate on God’s Word?

Prayer: Sovereign God, thank You for Your Word. I want to meditate on Your truth day and night. In Jesus’s name, amen!