His delight is
in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (NIV 1984, Psalm 1:2).
Meditating on God’s
Word is not reading it, memorizing it, or even studying it. It’s chewing on it,
turning it over in the mind, allowing it to percolate and become part of us.
St. Benedict (AD
480-547) is credited with giving us the meditative practice of lectio
divina. Lectio divina begins with a slow, purposeful reading (lectio) of the Word combined with an attitude of
attentiveness (careful listening) to God’s voice. We progress to meditating on
the Word (meditatio ), which is a pondering and simmering time. From there we transition to
prayer (oratio), centered
in what we have been reading and what God has been speaking. This is followed
with the final segment of lectio divina, contemplation (contemplatio), in
which we joyfully rest in the presence of God.
On what are you
meditating? Scott Wenig writes that the mind wanders every seven seconds [1].
When idling at a red light, standing over a sink full of dishes, or sitting at
your desk, where does your mind go? Answer that and you’ll know what you’re
meditating on.
It is in meditating
on the law, God’s Word, that it really becomes a part of us.
Where does your mind
go when it wanders?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
What does God want to say
to you through his Word?
No comments:
Post a Comment