Christian Meditation - Psalm 119.15

I will meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways. 119.15

Meditation is big business these days.  Brought in on a wave of Eastern mysticism in the 60’s the likes of yoga and ‘mindfulness’ are relentlessly pushed upon us. York Minster is even offering zen meditation led by a 'Christian' minister (the thought of which is enough to boil my blood).  Biblical Christians rightly recoil at such practices - they are inherently tainted by the pagan religions which formed them and have as their goal something in opposition to Christian faith.  Christianity teaches boldly that all things are not ‘one’ with each other - rather humans are unique in reflecting the glory of God by being made in His image and likeness.  Again, God is not part of His creation and is certainly not found in uniting with it - no, God is the creator whose essence is utterly apart from creation yet who in love for us became a creature in the person Jesus (but not in a tree or a mountain!).  The idea of emptying your mind and your ‘self’ into the void is a rejection of the gift of the mind and the uniqueness of your ‘self’ which God both made and loves.  Indeed, emptying yourself in such a way is toying with the devil and asking for something more sinister to come in.

Yet, meditation is Biblical.

Not meditation where you empty your thoughts and say mantras whilst you realign your ‘chakras’ or other such pagan pseudo-science.  Instead we are called to “meditate on Your precepts and think about Your ways.”  Christians are called to meditate on the Bible, spend time reflecting on the words and mighty acts of God, consider His commands and how to live by them.  We are called to seek out Jesus in each story and see how He is at the centre.  We must daily eat, learn, and inwardly digest the Scriptures as our spiritual food and drink.  If we long to become “partakers of the Divine nature” (2 Peter 1.4) we will only do so through knowing Jesus.  Jesus is no longer on earth among us but all we ever need to know for salvation and growth in faith is found in the completely sufficient revelation He has given us and to which nothing more needs to be added - the Bible.  So by all means take up that meditation class, just make sure it is a Bible study and not some Eastern scam.