Jump back to the days WITHOUT your Flatscreen TV and Smartphone. I’ll give you a few minutes to think. OK…I’m back. You can’t remember, right?
Right. I understand. Those devices have become “permanent” fixtures in 21st Century America.
You may think this message is about the perils of excessive “screen time.” But it’s not. My focus today is on the lost art of meditation.
No, not the Eastern practice of emptying the mind.
I’m talking about CHRISTIAN MEDITATION–fixing our eyes on God’s magnificence; focused thinking about a Bible verse; and the application of its truth to our life.
Since we become whatever dominates our thoughts, it makes sense that we must think about Jesus if we want to become like him (Proverbs 4:23).
When was the last time you “went out into the field to meditate” after dinner like Isaac did so long ago. If you’re like me, it’s been awhile.
Isaac’s story is powerful because even though he didn’t have a big screen to watch, he did have a view of God’s three-dimensional kaleidoscope of magnificence in the sky. And he had his IMAGINATION. That’s a life-changing tandem that has been locked away from our thinking and elusive from our modern-day grasp.
Meditation helps us find the solace Isaac experienced by helping us turn from the world’s turbulence to God’s truth. Without God as the focus anchor, our heart gravitates toward the world.
Meditation is a bridge between God’s Word and prayer. The Word feeds meditation and meditation animates prayer.
It’s a two-stroke process: 1) Meditate on God’s Word; and then 2) Activate its promise through prayer.
That means meditation cannot be list-driven. It must be scripture-centric.
I ask God to remind me and encourage me to always incorporate meditating on his Word into my faith walk.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
When was the last time you peered into the night sky with wonder and amazement over God’s magnificence?
“Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8
