In Spirit and Truth - II

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7a

Let's review God's exhortations to Joshua before the Israelites cross the Jordan into the Promised Land: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you wil have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:8-9

I would like to explore the command to "meditate" a bit more. Last week, we looked at the first definition of meditate - "to mutter". The second Hebrew word for meditation literally means "to chew the cud". That means that we take what we hear and "chew on it" in our minds and hearts until we extract every ounce of nutrition from it. Speaking it verbally helps in this process. Jon Courson states, "For example, Joshua 1:7 says, "Be strong and very courageous." Therefore, if I want to have good success, if I want to prosper, I am to go through my day muttering, "Lord, you want me to be strong. You want me to have courage. Thank you for the strength and courage You give." Biblical meditation is simply taking a phrase, a verse, or a small portion of Scripture and muttering it over and over. Meditation is different from reading the Bible. Reading produces information. Meditation produces transformation."

What a difference it would make in my attitude and actions if I meditated on this one verse throughout the day. In Joshua's case, he needed to grasp the reality of God's presence with him as he led three million people into a new and challenging land. God commands Joshua to meditate because that is the key to moving in the Spirit and staying in the Spirit. Courson says, "If we don't understand this, though we might have an experience in Holy Spirit, it will soon dissipate."

David says it this way in Psalm 1:1a, 2-3...
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Anyone can make an occasional splash, but those who are "planted" by the river will continually draw strength and nourishment and bear fruit. We will not wither when hard times come. Meditation is key to abiding in the Spirit. It causes our roots to go deep in God so we will not be shaken by the challenges of life. We will experience the truth of Romans 8:37, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerers through Him who loved us."

Exercise: Choose one verse or passage to meditate on this week. Practice "chewing on it" and "muttering it" to yourself and others. At the end of the week, write down how God worked and what He showed you in the process.