5 Steps to "Meditate" on Scripture

I heard of "meditating" on scripture,
But I never knew what it really meant,
And it never sounded like anything I would enjoy.
Truthfully, it sounded boring,
Similar to watching paint dry.

Up until college...
I had ZERO interest in flag football,
But one day,
I got invited to play,
Got a good coach,
Who helped me understand the game,
And I was hooked.

I played year after year,
Even after blowing out my knee TWICE,
After 2 surgerys,
After 2 rehabs,
I went back (even if it was stupid) O_o,
Because it was that FUN.

...But it was fun only AFTER,
I learned the game,
Learned the strategies,
Went to practices,
And it started to click,
That's when it got FUN.



Meditating on scripture is the same way.
It can seem mind-numbingly boring,
If you don't understand it,
If you were never coached,
If you never practiced,
Of course it never got fun.

FIRST, let's really clarify what "meditating" on scripture really means.

The dictionary definition is:
- to engage in contemplation or reflection
- to focus one's thoughts on
- reflect on or ponder over

Another example is this...
Have you ever had something bad happen and it replays in your head over and over again?
You may think about how you could have done it differently,
You may think about what you should have said to that person,
You may think about how it's so wrong,
It just plays over and over in your head.
Yup, that's meditation.

That's meditation applied in a negative way,
But if you flip it in a Godly way,
Then it's simply thinking about God's word,
Mulling over scripture,
Letting it marinade in your brain,
Chewing on it over and over,
Letting it tickle your brain,
And allowing thoughts to grow from it.
It's a good thing when God's words replay in your head.
It's a Godly replay. ^_^

Now there's different types of replays...
For example it has different speeds.
You can have a live speed replay,
Or you can have a slow motion replay.

You can meditate on God's word similarly,
You can do a slow motion scripture replay,
By reading each phrase or verse slowly,
In small chunks,
And pausing to think about how it applies to you,
Asking Holy Spirit what He's trying to show you,
And just flow with it.

It's possible that...
If you reflect on God's words and let the meaning sink in deeper,
You may be filled with gratitude and joy,
And you may just want to speak or pray it out loud saying,
"OMG, God you are so good! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You!",
Or you can sing a song,
Or you can dance to a song that comes to mind,
Or you can get on your knees,
Or you can prostrate yourself (lay face down in reverence),
Or however you feel inspired to move or do,
Consider it a leading of Holy Spirit,
Just have FUN.

All this can happen by meditating on just one verse or a few verses.
It's really quality not quantity.
After you read and meditate on it once,
You can do it again,
Rinse and repeat the same verse,
See what happens next.

It's really an adventure where anything can happen.
It does require you to SLOW down,
Quiet your mind,
Be STILL your heart,
Seek and listen for God's still small voice,
As he reveals thoughts and inspirations to you,
In the most gentle and creative ways.

You may experience what feels like a love bomb or baptism of love,
Or one of gratitude,
Or one of peace,
Or anything else God decides to pour out on you.
It's a euphoria that can only come from God,
And it sure beats getting hyped up on red bull or getting drunk. ^_^

So here are some practical steps you can take to try it out:

Step 1) Choose a scripture (a favorite verse or story).

Step 2) Pray "Holy Spirit, come and fill my heart and show me how to meditate on Your word. Reveal what only you can reveal. In Jesus name Amen."
- Holy Spirit is the only one that can give you an awesome experience. Intentionally inviting Him in and asking for His help seems to add something special.

Step 3) Read the scripture SLOWLY in small chunks and pause wherever you feel a verse tickle your brain or hit your heart.
- Take it easy, take a breath and close your eyes to let Holy Spirit bring up some thoughts around it.

Step 4) Write, say, sing, dance out loud the thoughts that come up.
- It can be thoughts or gratitude, praise, affirmation, comfort, anything.
- Just take your time and go with the flow.

Step 5) Rinse and repeat. Keep going to the next small chunk of scripture or verse and take it slow. Pause as many times as you need for as long as you need. Do not rush anything. The slower you go the better.

Have fun!

Here's an example of what one might look like. (Psalm 23 in bold)

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."
(something tickled my brain so I paused)

• Oh Lord, You provide me with everything I need, I am so thankful!
• You prepare it before I even ask for it, I have no reason to worry.
• You are so wonderful. You are so marvelous!

• If it weren't for You I'd be a pile of ashes, burned out.
• If it weren't for You I would never rest.
• If it weren't for You I wouldn't know how to rest.
• I thank You that you WANT me to rest.
• I thank You that you LEAD me to rest.
• I thank You for being my refuge WHILE I rest.
• You are so great! You are so wonderful to me!

• Not only do you let me rest, you fix me back up.
• Everything that I have broken, you make whole.
• You make better than new and draw me close.
• You are the ultimate redeemer, I love You!

• No matter how far I've gone, You always pull me back.
• You never give up on me, You're always there.
• You're more faithful to me than I can ever be to You.
• Yet you still love me like an only child. I love You!

• You're with me in my hardest times.
• You pieced me back together when I was broken into a million pieces.
• You held me in Your hands.
• You comforted me when I cried.
• Let me be Yours forever more, Yours and only Yours.

• Lord, You are bold in the way You protect me.
• You are fierce in the way You fight for me.
• What do I have to fear?
• May I trust You always and remember all that You have done for me.

• Let me bask in Your glory.
• Let me be Yours forever more.
• Let me dwell in Your presence more and more each day.
• I am Yours and Your are mine.