SECRET LIFE WITH GOD (2)

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night” – Joshua 1:8

Meditation is the Secret Key to maximizing the SECRET LIFE with GOD: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night” (Jos.1:8a). To meditate in God’s Word means to contemplate every word and phrase, looking for deeper, fuller, richer meanings. His Word is like a mountain range with vast pockets of gems and veins of gold. The Secret Place is our time to mine or dig. It’s through meditation that we unlock the hidden riches of the Word. We uncover various layers of rich understanding as we go ever deeper, pondering each word, and turning the phrases over and over, like the ruminant chews, churns, and regurgitates the cud.

Meditation is the art of mining the most that we can from every word of scripture. God’s written word of God is revealed by His Living Word, through the Power of the Holy Spirit: “From His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Pro.2:6). The Source of Illumination is God’s Mouth. He speaks to us. As we meditate in His Word, we get in the Spirit and cry from our hearts, “Lord, talk to me!” We realize that without His help we will never unlock the riches of His magnificent Word. Each word of Scripture can sustain the intensity of careful questioning, as seen in Psalm 77:6, “I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.” As we meditate in the Word, our spirit is diligently searching for fresh insights. And we’re never disappointed when we come with humility and yield to the Holy Spirit.

There is greater depth to Scripture than what meets the eye at the first reading. Some truths will never be found until we take the time to sit and stare at the text, carefully considering its contents and implications. Seeming contradictions sometimes contain the loftiest truths. Some portions have more than one application, with layers of truth that are revealed almost like an onion peeled. One of the best ways to meditate in God’s Word is by asking questions of the text, such as: Who is the writer, and to whom is he speaking? What does the verse say, and why? What does it mean? How does it apply to my life? Why did the Holy Spirit ordain that a text be worded in a particular way. When a phrase seems to make no apparent contribution to the text, we gaze upon it prayerfully, to consider why the Holy Spirit included it.

The one who meditates in God’s Word will gradually transform the inner well from which the soul draws, substituting deposits of evil treasures with good treasures (Lk.6:45). Once we come alive to the delight of meditating in His Word, we’ll become addicted. The Secret Place will become our favorite place and the Secret Life our maximized lifestyle (Psalm 1: 1-3).