I am writing when it is technically fall, even though it still feels like summer here in Mississippi. But soon the days will grow shorter and colder, the leaves will begin changing from green to brown and eventually litter the ground. And inevitably, I will feel the urge to escape to the outdoors and soak in the transitioning season.
There is something about fall that reawakens me to the world around me. Perhaps it is because I had become so used to the heat of summer that I had also become unaware of the little things around me that would otherwise catch my attention. I need the change of perspective fall offers me in order to appreciate again the beauty of nature. Even though I may have lost sight of that beauty during the long and hot days of summer, it was still there all around me.
In the same way, I feel as if I can forget what I have in my relationship with God. In my mind, I understand that I am His child and His possession, also that my ultimate purpose in life is to glorify Him and advance His kingdom, but at the same time I can grow used to it and may feel untouched or unaffected by those truths. This is the time when I need to meditate.
Teddy James pointed out in his vlog on the Engage YouTube channel that meditation for the Christian is the action of clearing your mind of unnecessary things and filling it with the truths of God found in Scripture. I find that I often forget this vital spiritual discipline and as a result my perspective on the Christian walk with Christ becomes stagnant. Meditation, much like a change of seasons, renews that perspective and helps the Christian’s mind become clearer.
There are many methods and ways to meditate. It is distinct from prayer, although both prayer and Scripture reading are often part of meditation. Meditation is essentially dwelling on the truths of God, as if you were heaping them around your heart like coals until your heart is kindled and draws nearer to God.
There are a few good areas of meditation to spend time in. One is what is often called the “common grace” of God. This is the grace that He shows to all humanity, such as food, provision, long life, love, family, happiness, even the oxygen we breathe. To spend time in this area and meditate on the general goodness of God to everyone is an excellent practice.
Another area of meditation is the Word of God. It can be so easy to simply crack open your Bible and casually browse the pages. But when we realize that the words we are reading were transcribed directly from the mind of the eternally glorious and most powerful Being who cannot be contained by time and space, and who existed in eternity before time began, it renews our perspective and the Bible is suddenly more than a simple religious book.
Possibly the greatest area of meditation is salvation. This is the collision between the Holy and unholy, where the infinite and time-bound dust met – a collision that shook the fabric of reality and baffled the minds of the highest angelic beings. It is the conjunction of you and God. And because of this, eternity is promised to you. If you belong to Christ, you will witness the birth and death of countless stars for all eternity. A new heaven and a new earth will be wide open before you to explore and enjoy perfectly, each day revealing even newer aspects of God than the day before.
If that does not grant us a new perspective on the Christian life, I don’t know what will. Until then, we can take time out of our busy lives, find a quiet place far from distraction, and fill our minds afresh with these incredible truths.
