August 2008

I

n the complexity of most of our everyday lives, there is often a struggle to find real peace: a time when we are not thinking about the kids, the job, the bills or one of life’s other many concerns. Rarely do we take the time to infuse as much energy into quietly listening to and receiving God’s word through stillness, an open heart and a quiet mind. Instead of directing our focus towards the true keeper of peace, we worry, fear, and become anxious about life’s offerings. In several texts of the Bible, God instructs us to meditate on Him and His word. In the Old Testament book of Joshua, chapter one, verse eight God commands, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Similarly in Psalms 1:2 it is stated that, “His delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Meditation is a discipline that allows the individual to transcend beyond the elements of everyday life, into a place of peace and healing. Through the practice we can develop greater intimacy with God, renew our minds, overcome negative thoughts, create greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and detach ourselves from the habitual custom of secular thinking. In Satisfy Your Soul, a guide to inner transformation through the spiritual disciplines, author Dr. Bruce Demarest shares, “A quieted heart is our best preparation for all this work of God…Meditation refocuses us from ourselves and from the world so that we reflect on God’s Word, His nature, His abilities, and His works…So we prayerfully ponder, muse, and ‘chew’ the words of Scripture…The goal is simply to permit the Holy Spirit to activate the life-giving Word of God (p.133).

This month at Chap’s Expressions, we admire Dr. Bruce Demarest and all those like him who have found the true essence of meditation and the value behind setting aside time to bask in God’s glory through focusing on all that is good and right through Christ.