“Be Still and Know that I Am God”
In the Bible, God says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In our busy world that never stops and seldom lets us rest, the idea to be still is a challenging one.
To be still is an instruction to stop all activity, remove distractions, and focus on God. It seems a lot like a call to meditation.
But should Christians meditate?
The dictionary says that to meditate is to calm, train, or empty the mind. This is often done by entering an altered state by focusing on a single object.
The instructions to empty our mind should concern us. Paul writes that we are to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). But we can’t take every thought captive if we empty our mind.
Therefore, it seems that meditation is contrary to the word of God. At least this kind of meditation is. But there are other ways to meditate. Let us consider them before we reject a God-honoring call to meditation.
Eastern Meditation
In continuing its primary definition of meditate, the dictionary adds that it’s a common practice in Buddhism or Hinduism.
Since we don’t want to dilute our Christian practices by mixing in eastern religions’ traditions, it seems wise to reject the idea of meditation.
We already mentioned that we need to hold every thought captive, which contradicts the idea of emptying the mind.
Paul adds that we should focus our thoughts on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellence, and praiseworthy. This is what we should think about (Philippians 4:8).
We can’t do this if we’ve just purged all thoughts from our minds and the effort to pursue eastern meditation.
Building upon this, Paul tells us to not conform to what the world does but to be transformed by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2).
One way of conforming to what the world does would be to embrace eastern meditation as a spiritual practice. Instead we should renew our minds.
Given this, does meditation have any place in the lives of serious Christians?
Christian Meditation
A secondary definition of meditate, however, gives us some hopeful clarity. In applying meditation specifically to Christianity, we learn that to meditate is to engage in focus thoughts about biblical passages or contemplate the mysteries of God and faith.
When we meditate in this way, we’re able to hold every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5), focus on what is good (Philippians 4:8), and transform ourselves by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2).
This form of meditation seems very biblical. In this way meditation moves from being a questionable spiritual practice to becoming a Christian imperative.
To begin our journey down this path, we need to be still and focus on God (Psalm 46:10). The challenge then is to figure out how to be still.
To be still means ceasing activity and embracing silence. For some people—perhaps most—this is a formidable task.
The idea of inactivity and silence horrifies them. They’re so used to movement and sound, that to remove them—even for a moment—makes them squirm.
Yet the Bible tells us to be still. More pointedly, God tells us to be still. If God commands us to do it, we better do it. As we become still, we turn our thoughts to God, his Word, and our faith.
Recall that the first purpose of Christian meditation is to direct our thoughts to Scripture. This starts when we read the Bible. Yet reading God’s word is just the first part. We need to study Scripture too.
Then, when we come across the passage that confuses us, we need to meditate on it. As we do this, we can receive Holy Spirit clarity.
Yet we can also meditate on verses that we understand or give us joy. As we meditate on them, God can give us a better understanding and a deeper comprehension of what they mean and how they apply to us as we live our lives.
The secondary purpose of Christian meditation is to focus on the mysteries of God and our faith. There are many. Christianity is filled with questions and paradoxes. Though this frustrates some people, it delights me.
God is too complex, too marvelous, and too wonderful to ever fully comprehend. But this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t contemplate this in an attempt to know him just a little bit better. The best way to do this is to be still and meditate on him.
Biblical Meditation
Starting with the command to be still, we’ve talked about three more Bible verses that broach the subject of meditation.
But do the words meditate and meditation appear in the Bible? The answer is yes. This should remove any disquiet we have when it comes to Christian meditation.
We first come across meditate in the book of Genesis. One evening, Isaac goes out to the field to meditate. It would seem this is a common practice for him. On this particular evening, as he’s meditating, he meets his future wife, Rebecca (Genesis 24:62-67).
We’re left to wonder if there’s a connection between Isaac meditating and meeting his future wife. Yet the key point is that he was meditating.
Much later, God comes to Joshua to give him instructions in preparation for the task that is before him: conquering the Promised Land.
God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. To obey the law. To keep God Word always present and to meditate on it day and night, which will help him do everything in it. Then he will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:7-8).
In similar manner, as we meditate on Scripture, we can expect to receive God’s blessings.
Most of the Bible’s occurrences of meditate occur in the book of Psalms. It opens with a call to meditate. We are blessed when we delight in the law of our Lord and meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).
The final mention of meditate in Psalms occurs when David proclaims that he will meditate on God’s wonderful works (Psalm 145:5). We should do the same.
Between these two passages are fourteen more verses that mention meditate.
The book of Psalms also mentions the word meditation. Twice it is about the “meditation of my heart” (Psalm 19:14 and Psalm 49:3). The other time it is a request by the Psalmist that his meditation would please God (Psalm 104:34).
These three verses about meditation and the other passages mentioned above, along with all of Scripture are worthy of our meditation. Even more so is our meditation of our Lord.
May the meditations of our heart draw us to God in worship and in awe.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.