One
of the ways we walk with God daily is by meditating on the words of God.
Meditation on God’s words is more than just reading them, with or without
prayer afterward. However, I often read the Bible casually, just like I read
the news online. My goal for such reading is to become familiar with the
content of the Bible and to battle against forgetfulness by sharpening my
memory. Nonetheless, it is not random reading; I read chapter by chapter, book
by book, with the intention of completing the entire Bible within a calendar
year.
That
being said, meditation on God’s words is essential. One should not substitute
casual reading of the Bible for meditation, even if they read daily with the
goal of completing the entire Bible. Meditation differs from casual reading. It
may take a few minutes or several hours. It involves reading, thinking, and
applying the truths of the Bible. It may bring about the sorrow of repentance
or the joy of knowing God.
Some
people practice Quiet Time as a method of meditation. It involves reading the
Bible, seeking the A.S.P.E.C.T. in the passage, and praying. This practice
often includes maintaining a journal (with pen and paper) to reflect on the
A.S.P.E.C.T. in the passage. Someday, I may write more about it and post it on this blog.
Today,
I would like to share another method of Bible meditation. This method, which I
learned from a professor during my time in seminary in 2014, is called
“Discovering Wonderful Things,” a name taken from Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes,
that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (NASB). This method involves
reading, thinking, studying, applying, writing, praying, and recording. It
works best when one focuses on meditating on just a single verse.
I can only demonstrate this method with pictures because I don't know how to add a chart or table to the blog. The first picture is the template for this method. The second picture is a demonstration of how I did it. You may also download the template and the demonstration here.
