(Photo by Haim Zack/GPO)
Phil Pringle explains the true meaning and essence of Christian meditation.
Christian Meditation
In Joshua 1:8, Moses’ successors were commanded to meditate on God’s word. “This Book of the Law shall be on your mouth always, and you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; then you will have prosperity and success.“
Additionally, the phrase “meditate on God’s word” appears many times in the Psalms. But what does it actually mean to meditate on God’s word? Phil Pringle explains.
“Meditation is not about emptying your mind,” he said. Contrary to what yoga encourages, Christian meditation is not about emptying your mind. Instead, it is about filling it with the word of God.
“Christian meditation is filling your mind with the word of God and repeating it to yourself over and over again, like a cow chewing its cud.”
Cows chew their cud
Pastor and author Rick Warren expands on this concept in his article, “Cows Can Teach You About Meditation.” He writes, “If you looked up synonyms for ‘meditation,’ you’d probably find the word ‘rumination.’ Rumination is what cows do when they chew their cud. They chew the cud in their mouths multiple times.”
When a cow chews grass, it immediately swallows it. The grass absorbs all the acids and chemicals in its stomach. But after a while, the cow burps it out, chews it again, adds more grass, and swallows it again. The cow repeats this process over and over again until it has absorbed all the nutrients the grass has to offer.
In the same way, biblical meditation is taking God’s Word, ingesting it, and bringing it back again and again until every bit of spiritual nourishment has been absorbed.
Furthermore, Phil believes that meditating on God’s Word transforms a person’s spiritual life and produces deep and abiding faith.
