Whether it’s on the job, discussing things with your spouse or just visiting with a friend, effective communication is needed.  And effective communication is always two-way.  There is a time to speak and a time to listen.  That’s where meditation and prayer come in.  A way to think of the difference between meditation and prayer is that in meditation you are listening to God and in prayer you are asking God to listen to you.  So how do we meditate?  Let me share some thoughts with you.

When Moses had written down God’s law he said, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And THESE WORDS that I command you today SHALL BE ON YOUR HEART.  You SHALL TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY to your children and shall talk of them WHEN YOU SIT IN YOUR HOUSE, and WHEN YOU WALK BY THE WAY, and WHEN YOU LIE DOWN, and WHEN YOU RISE.  You shall BIND THEM AS A SIGN ON YOUR HAND, and they SHALL BE AS FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES.  You shall WRITE THEM ON THE DOORPOSTS OF YOUR HOUSE and ON YOUR GATES” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV). 

I have tried to put the important words of this passage in capitals, but it almost looks like I just capitalized everything.  In spite of that, let’s look at the main points that Moses makes.

First, everything is centered on “these words.”  What are they?  They are the Bible, and, in this case specifically the first five books.  What does it mean that they “shall be on your heart?”  That means they are always with you and you live them.

Secondly, you purposely teach it to others with diligence.  It happens all the time: when you sit, walk, lie down, rise – all the time!

The third concept is that you surround yourself with it: on your hands, before your eyes, on your doorposts and gates.

If you will do these things with the word, (always have it with you, live it, teach it, let it surround you) you will be meditating on it and it will have an effect on you and those around you.

Here’s a couple examples of how to do Biblical Meditation:

1.  You take a passage of scripture and spend a lot of time thinking about it:
2.  What does it say?
3.  Why would God say that?
4.  What does it mean for me?
5.  What would my life look like if I applied that scripture?
6.  You take a characteristic of God and spend a lot of time thinking about it:
7.  How would you describe that characteristic?
8.  Is it something only God has or is it something I should be developing?
9.  What does it look like in God?
10.  What should it look like in me?

Now let’s take a test on this lesson.  Go back to the passage I quoted above (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).  Take some time to meditate on it.  I think you will be able to see how effective meditation can be.