I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. Psalm 145:1-7

The Psalmist has it right.  We are to tell others of the greatness of the Lord as much as we are to meditate upon God’s word.  We are to extol the glories of creation as we ponder the scriptures.  We are to be outward in our praise of God, as we are inward with our thoughts. 

Meditation on the word is just as important as our outward praise of God for meditating upon the word is a way of internalizing rather than memorizing scripture.

If you truly want to know God, if you really want to grow in your spiritual life, meditate.  Take a passage, read it and then spend time in quiet, rather than reading it quickly to get the daily reading in.  Take a few verses of a favorite psalm as your breath prayer (one line while breathing in, one line while breathing out) and it will instantly calm your spirit.  Read a complex passage slowly and deliberately and allow time for more than the words on the page.

Meditating on the word can be one of the healthiest things we can do for our body, mind and spirit.  As you travel through this Lenten season, meditate.  Allow the Holy Spirit to bring the word into your heart. 

Peace,

Pastor Bill