Prayer Meeting 17/10/2023

Biblical Meditation - Part 1

I know we touched on this subject during our Sunday morning service a few weeks ago, and then again at night. But tonight, I want to spend more time, both tonight and at our next prayer meeting talking about ‘Biblical Meditation’.

Before I do, let me read our puritan prayer. This evening’s is from Tim Chester’s ‘Into His Presence’, page 177. The prayer is simply entitled ‘Prayers for Morning and Evening’. Its by Lewis Bayly (Welsh puritan).

Open your heart every morning, and shut it again every evening with the word of God and prayer, as it were with a lock and key. And so, beginning the day with God's worship, continuing it in his fear, and ending it in his favour, you shall be sure to find the blessing of God on all your day's labours and good endeavours. And at night you may assure yourself you shall sleep safely and sweetly in the arms of your heavenly Father's providence

- Lewis Bayly 

Biblical Meditation - First what is it?

Yes, I answered this at our last pastoral Q&A but one you won’t remember, and two it needs further explanation and clarity.

Before I go into that, let me jog your memory about what I said during the sermon a few weeks ago. This is what I said:

There is a common reason why God people fall away from truth, and seem to be able to continue to sell themselves their carnal desires.

And it’s this: there are those that hear God’s Word every week. They take it as well received. They may even ‘amen’ it in their hearts. But here is what often many many do, and this is what causes the lack of sanctification, it causes loss of peace, it affects their daily walk. And mostly when trials come, they have no defence, or little defence to capture their thoughts and emotions. They receive the Word, but they spend no time digesting the Word.

Do you hear that? They spend no time digesting the Word. Irish puritan James Ussher wrote:

If the meat that thou eateth be not digested, it will do thee no good.

The Word that we hear, but that we don’t go away and meditate on, and reflect on, and think on, is only but having a tiny snack that doesn’t fill us. We gain little from it.

I then said:

Do you know what made the puritans so smart, and so able to find language for the Word, and what makes their works so good, so vast and so deep? Please don’t be fooled to think it was solely their intellectual gifting. It was that they spent hours digesting that which they read; that which they were taught.

This is where their wellspring of knowledge permeates from. Without meditating on God’s Word, we will never find true peace in this life. Do you hear me? Without learning the art and skill, and devotion of meditation we will never truly have peace.

By peace I mean a holy peace. A peace of the soul. A peace that is beyond circumstances.

There is a great book by an a American pastor called David Saxton. I’ve no idea if the book was given to me as a gift, or I bought it. However, it probably sat on one of my book shelves for months, or more. But a few weeks ago I picked it up and it’s been a wonderful read.

Saxton draws mostly from how the puritans saw and valued biblical meditation. In fact, Saxton calls the book ‘God’s Battle Plan For The Mind’. Sounds like a million self-help style books doesn’t it? Except, the content sub heading is ‘The Puritan Practice Of Biblical Meditation’.

A bit different from the usual stuff you read. Where you can almost explain the full content and where it will go before you read it.

However, we know that to draw from the puritans’ teaching is to go deeper with God, and touch our very soul. So to learn from the puritans what it means to meditate is to be heeded I believe.

Jesus Himself done so often:

Mark 1:35-39

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, he went out and departed to a solitary place; and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him. When they found him, they said to him, “everyone is looking for you.” But he said to them, “let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” And he was preaching in their synagogues throughout all galilee, and casting out demons.

Jesus had much to do in the three short years He walked the earth as the Son of God. Yet He found time to go to a place of solitude and pray.

Luke 5:16

So he himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

The truth is no matter what we do, we need time to pray and meditate. So we are going to first look at what it is. Then how to practice it. Then why we need to. And lastly the benefits. I may touch on other things but these will be the main things.

So firstly, what is biblical meditation?

Well firstly, what does the word ‘meditation’ mean? The Hebrew word is:

שִׂיחָה- see-ha

Which means to muse, or to ponder. Really it means to dwell on something.

Now let me ask you: how often do you dwell on different things? Dwell on arguments. Dwell on what was said, dwell on desires, dwell on aimless escapism. Dwell on negativity. Imagine that dwelling was on God and His Word. Do you think you would be more, or less Christlike?

What does Apostle Paul tell them in Philippi to dwell on?

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

The Greek word is:

Λογίζομαι- Log-geed-zo-my

To take into account. To reason.

Here is how some puritans define it. Thomas Hooker says:

Meditation is a serious intention of the mind whereby we come in search of truth and settle it upon our hearts.

Oh how good is that? Serious intention of the mind to search for truth.

How unintentional are our thoughts at times? How often don’t we even think about what we are thinking? To take your thinking seriously, is key.

William Fenner, an early 17th century Cambridge puritan said:

Meditation is a settled exercise of the mind for a further inquiry of the truth, that doing so affects the heart.

The reason our hearts are so unaffected at times is because we spend no time searching and pondering truth, that we find in the Word.

Maybe the easiest of all puritan writers to understand is Thomas Watson. He writes:

Meditation is a holy exercise of the mind whereby we bring truth of God into remembrance and do seriously ponder upon them and apply them to ourselves.

He adds:

Meditation is the soul’s retiring of itself, so that by serious and solemn thinking upon God the heart may be raised heavenward.

Meditation is not about emptying the mind of everything. It’s about emptying the mind of ungodly thoughts and non-deliberate thoughts, and focussing that mind onto the things of God.

That is what brings change to our heart, and that is what brings a holy, heavenly peace.

We no longer are driven by feelings or emotions, but by the truth of whom God is, and whom He is to us.

To meditate on God and His ways will always lead to change in how we view things, feel things, and in turn, walk in things.

Meditation is not mindless wanderings into nothingness - like is taught a lot. And in that nothingness we somehow find ourselves.

Today we see all sorts of meditation advertised and practised. Yoga, calmness classes, mysticism, tree hugging, crystals. All of which do nothing to draw you to God and truth.

Positive thinking meditation is even in church, as we spoke of on Sunday. None of that will draw you towards God. Nor is it what the puritans call biblical mediation.

Okay we have touched on what it is, and a bit of what it is not.

Now - how do you practice it?

The puritans didn’t just practice it. It was, as they saw, such a vital part of the Christian’s walk, that they taught it to all their congregations.

It was a must for them. Of course it was, why know the benefit, and not teach it?

Even though Calvin did so continually, Saxton points explains that the out-working of it and the ‘how to’, was mostly taught by the puritans.

Firstly, they did not really prescribe a time. So if you’re wondering when, then you need to find the right time for you. Some say morning, like Watson, some say evening like Richard Baxter. I guess it’s what works best.

There is of course a wrong time, and that’s no time.

Thomas Manton I think says it best:

Whether morning or evening, the important principle is to do whatever it takes to develop a consistent habit of meeting with the lord for bible reading, praying and studying. This must be done when one’s mind is free from distractions.

I would just critique Manton by saying this. Don’t wait to your mind is clear - do it until your mind is clear.

Maybe you want to know where you ought to do it? The puritans unanimously say alone. Some advocate for outdoors, in the quiet. I think anywhere where you’re not drawn away by noise or distractions.

I used to say this: ‘I need noise and activity to study’. What…….???? Yes - when it was a message out-with the Word. For me I need zero noise and distractions. Lest that noise or song become what I think about.

If I want to study the Word, I want to hear nothing but the Word.

Jeremiah Burroughs said:

A man who walks with God, loves to withdraw from the world.

Now that is not isolate; isolation is solitude with self in mind.

It’s not the same. To retreat to alone quiet time with God, is to deliberately draw close to Him through prayer and His Word.

Lastly, how long?

I would say as long as it takes for you to not want to leave.

Watson says half an hour every day. If you’re looking for practical, George Swinnock says:

The milk must be set for some time before it becomes cream.

I think Manton says it best again:

Come not off from holy thoughts until you find profit by them.

I prefer mine: not until you don’t ever want to leave.

Okay we will continue looking at ‘Biblical Meditation’ next time.

Amen.