Happy and Blessed - Pt. 3

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psalm 119:9-16 ESV).

 

In the section we are focusing on today, the psalmist urges us to read, to ponder, and to store up God’s Word in our hearts so that we know God more deeply and strive to please him with our thoughts, words, and deeds. He tells us to “meditate” on the precepts of God. The word meditate means to ponder, reflect upon, think about, muse over or to ruminate.  When we’re meditating on something, we’re singly focused and giving it our full attention. We block out everything else around us both mental and physically. We allow no other thought or activity to steal us away from that moment. We’re completely present and fully conscious of whatever we’re doing. That’s meditating.

 

Whether we realize or not, we all meditate to one degree or another. We may meditate on our careers, our love relationships, our goals in life, or becoming successful.  People also meditate on things that are harmful or destructive to them or others. We become what we repetitively think about (cf. Proverbs 23).  What we meditate on will steer the direction of our lives.

 

The benefits are beyond measure. Meditating deeply on God’s Word increases our joy. People who aim to live by God’s Word have praise on their lips and joyful delight in their hearts. Through nurturing God’s Word in our hearts, our passion to please God will grow. And our lives will grow more pleasing to God as we seek to live by every word that comes from his mouth.

 

There are many ways to meditate. Let me suggest just one. First, find a quiet place where you can spend a minimum of fifteen minutes alone. Select a passage of Scripture you wish to use to focus your meditation. All of the psalms are great for this exercise, though any passage will do. Read a small, portion of the passage. Typically the Scripture is divided into “paragraphs” for just such a purpose. After you read it, let your mind be drawn to one thought. Write that thought down in your journal. Summarize the thought with a word that is meaningful to you. Write that word on a card, or note on your phone. Throughout the day let yourself be drawn to that word so that it begins to form patterns, plans, or goals for your life. Those then become the prayers for your future. Be intentional in taking action to accomplish these things.