God’s Word is vital for our Christian life and our spiritual growth. As a child of God, we need to feed upon God’s Word regularly. There is one important aspect which we often neglect, which is the meditation of God’s Word. It is not enough just to read the Bible. Bible reading only enables you to know God’s Word superficially. Through Bible reading, you can only know the overview of each book of the Bible but you may not know deep enough. God wants us to have a good grasp of His Word. In order to do that, we need to meditate upon God’s Word. In Psalm 1, we are taught the benefits of meditating upon God’s Word. When you delight in God’s Word, you will meditate upon it. By meditating upon it, you will know how to apply it appropriately into your life and your situation. In whatever situation you are in, God’s Word can be a source of strength and comfort to you.
What does it mean to meditate upon God’s Word? To meditate upon God’s Word is to contemplate or to think deeply upon the meaning of a particular Bible verse or a short Bible passage, allowing God to reveal the understanding of it or them to you with the desire to appropriately translate them into real application into your life. In Joshua 1:8, we are instructed to meditate upon God’s Word consistently. That is what it meant to meditate upon it day and night. The purpose of this meditation is for you to be careful to do according to all that is written in it. The reward of such a discipline is that you will be prosperous and successful. This means that your life will be blessed.
I am encouraged by what Psalm 1:3 states, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” You will definitely bear much fruit when you allow God’s Word to permeate into every facet of your life. You will know how to handle God’s Word effectively so as to minister well to others when you yourself have fully meditated upon them and applied them. In Colossians 3:16, we are instructed to allow God’s Word to dwell in us richly, that is, to make its deep impact upon our lives. Through meditating upon God’s Word, you will be able to teach and admonish others with God’s wisdom. We will also be able to sing songs to God with a grateful heart.
How do we meditate upon God’s Word? In order to effectively meditate upon God’s Word, it is good to read the Bible passage or the Bible verse several times, perhaps, 3 to 5 times. Before reading, it is appropriate to begin by uttering a simple prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Word of God to you. You may choose to pray like this: “Father God, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your Word. Give me understanding as I read and ponder over Your Word. Guide me in applying its truth into my life. In Jesus’ most precious Name, I ask. Amen.” It is always good to ask questions whenever you meditate upon God’s Word. I would suggest that you prayerfully consider these two questions. The first question is: What is the Lord saying to me? The second question is: What is the Lord telling me to do?
When I was reading Matthew 19:13-15, the first part of verse 13 caught my attention: “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.” The word “pray” kept me thinking. What is the Lord saying to me in this verse? Immediately, I realised that children need my prayer. I recalled many years ago while I was conducting a children program in a Childcare Centre at Bukit Batok area, the children were brought to me to pray for them individually. It was interesting to see them queuing up to be prayed for by me. I felt uplifted praying for each of them. I need to rekindle my passion of praying for the children. What is the Lord telling me to do in regards to this? Children are special in the sight of God.
Jesus loves the children. The Lord instructed me not to neglect them or ignore them but to pray for them and with them. I must look for an opportunity to love them and pray for them. With this thought in my mind, I asked myself two more questions: “How do I go about praying for the children?” and “How do I pray with them?” Often, I prayed for the adults and the youth. It is time that I should allocate time to pray for the children around my neighbourhood and within our church compound. Whenever I see the children, I must remind myself that Jesus loves them and wants them to come to the saving knowledge of Him and receive Him as their personal Saviour. It would be good to organise prayer meetings for the children or to look out for the children whom the Lord will lead me to pray individually for them.
Through meditating upon God’s Word, I have gained great insight into this verse. Let us, therefore, not neglect this important discipline of meditating upon the very Word of God. Let us make a great effort to not only read the Word of God but also devote time to meditate upon the Word of God. I pray that your journey of embarking on this endeavour will be enriching one. Be blessed through this wonderful exercise!