The purpose of Christian meditation is to take propositions about God (which reside in our mind), and make them real (and therefore impactful) to our heart. While this must be done through prayer, and in the power of the Spirit, below is an example of what it might look like for Psalm 1:1-3 Step 1: What the passage is saying? The Psalmist says the wicked person finds no real blessing in life (v. 1). Instead true blessing comes from delighting in and meditating on God’s word (v. 2). The blessing the Psalmist speaks of is not health, wealth and prosperity; but bearing fruit for the kingdom (v. 3). Step 2: How is this passage about Jesus (Luke 24:27)? Jesus is the only man who never walked in the path of the wicked; but truly delighted in God’s word (e.g. Matt 4:1-11). Jesus obeyed God’s word perfectly so he could be a perfect sacrifice for us. Step 3: How would my behaviour change if I truly believed this? I would praise God for creating the world according to a particular design, in which the wicked fail and the righteous prosper (bear fruit) in the end. I would praise Jesus for being the truly blessed man (righteous) for us. I would thank God for the fruit that he has helped me bear for the kingdom. I would repent for not delighting in God’s word; but instead finding it a burden. I would ask God to help me find His word a delight. I would meditate on the Scriptures daily; both morning and night. I would see spending time in the Bible as fun; more fun than anything else.
Meditations on Psalm 1
