Meditation is such a great skill, and it is an important tool for so many to get through life. Those who deal with different illnesses and require constant pain management often look to meditation for help. The meditation that they are often guided in is eastern meditation. The hope is to empty your mind, freeing yourself from the burdens of this life.
This type of meditation is good, but there are also concerns. If we are going to empty our minds, what is going to fill the space that has been left? If the burdens are coming from otherworldly areas, we want to be careful to not leave our minds empty.
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”
Luke 11:24-26 NIV
Clearing our minds of worries can be good, but clearing them so that we can fill them with the Lord is so much better. And this is the difference between eastern meditation and spiritual meditation. In spiritual meditation, we seek to remove or clean the clutter so that we can concentrate on the Lord and “all that is good and pure.” (Phil. 4:8-9)
With the current state of the world, there is so much out there that clutters our minds. With so much to distract and disrupt us, we are going to need to do things differently if we want to hear God. We are going to need to find ways to step away from the hustle and hurry of this world and take time to not only seek Him but prepare our hearts to hear Him.
The Challenge
The challenge for this week is to take some time to meditate on His word, and if you can, spend some time alone in His creation. Try to leave the world behind for a moment and just be in His presence. Try to find 30-60 minutes somewhere in the week to meditation on His word.
A great passage to go to is Psa. 63. It is a Psalm that David wrote when he was running in the wilderness from his son Absalom. I’m sure he was missing home, but in the midst of running, he realized that he was missing more than just home.
- Start by reading the chapter. Then read it again. Shorten it every time you read it. Can you sense what David was feeling? How does it make you feel? Can you relate? What might God be saying to you through this scripture?
- Every time you get distracted, go back to the passage and read the shortened section. What might God be saying to you? How is He calling you to respond to Him?
- End by offering a prayer to him.
And please remember, God will never say anything to you that is inconsistent with His word, so always make sure that the thoughts you are pondering are consistent with His word…
For those interested in digging deeper, Richard Peace’s book is wonderful as it works to have you understand the context of the passage before meditating on it. His first meditation is on Psa. 63. When I did this the first time, God rocked my world. I pray you understand Him more deeply as well.
Along the Multicolored Road 
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