How Do You Meditate On The Word?

ItsMeLilLucky

ItsMeLilLucky

NotLucky no mo' just blessed.
Do you use any additional books? Do you use music or no?
What would you suggest for a baby Christian to get besides a Bible (already own one of those lol)?
How do you meditate on the Word?
Do you pick a book at random? Or do you pray and wait to see what pops into your head?
Bonus question: How do you know when you've found "your" church?
Please forgive me for playing 21 questions but my brain is hungry lol
 
B

blessedandfavoured

Well-Known Member
whosthatcurl said:
Do you use any additional books? Do you use music or no?
What would you suggest for a baby Christian to get besides a Bible (already own one of those lol)?
How do you meditate on the Word?
Do you pick a book at random? Or do you pray and wait to see what pops into your head?
Bonus question: How do you know when you've found "your" church?
Please forgive me for playing 21 questions but my brain is hungry lol
Click to expand...

Hello whosthatcurl,

For a baby Christian, I'd say focus on reading the Bible and praying. Thanks to God and the internet, you can access lots of good preachers like Tony Evans, Paul Washer, Carter Conlon and Charles Stanley, to name a few.

As for mediating on the Word, I don't really know. Maybe memorise a few Psalms. Start with the shorter ones like Psalm 23 and 121, then move on to longer ones like Psalm 46 and 91. You could also pick some verses that encourage or challenge you or speak to you in some way and memorise them. The Word is so full of goodness, but one of the first non-Psalms I memorised was Isaiah 41:10-13. You could take that approach.

I'm sure some of the other godly ladies will pitch in soon. God bless you.
 
M

mysblossom


Neat questions, @whosthatcurl. :smile:

I can't speak with any expertise, and I'm sure others will chime in, but I noticed that no one has responded yet, so I'll share what I can!

Others' resources/thoughts regarding meditating upon God's Word:

How I mediate upon the Word:
  • How I choose a passage:
    • NOTE: There is a REALLY interesting book that discusses personality/temperament and the bible books one should read often based on one's temperament. I don't think all that is necessary, but I do find that as a melancholy/sanguine blend, reading the books of Philippians and Ephesians is good for me!
    • I usually choose a book in the bible that I know speaks deeply to me, or I'll choose a book in the bible that I haven't read in awhile so that I can enjoy reading it to see if anything in it really speaks to me.
      • Examples:
        • The book of Philippians (especially chapter 4) really speaks to me.
        • The book of Ephesians really speaks to me.
        • The book of Romans really speaks to me.
        • The book of First John really speaks to me.
        • Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Isaiah have so much life-applicable material that I sometimes just flip to one of those bible books and begin reading wherever I first open the book . . . or I focus on well-known passages in those books, such as Psalms 37 or 23 . . . or Isaiah 40.
        • I find the Old Testament bible stories to take me back to my childhood, and I find the parables of Jesus to teach me a lot about how to think and feel, so I'll read those as well.
  • What bible I read for meditation purposes:
    • It's not necessary, but for newbies, I really really really really really recommend The Quest bible. In the margins of The Quest bible are tons and tons of questions that one might ask . . . to the tune of "Why did that happen?" and "What does that mean!?!!" Especially for challenging-to-interpret passages, The Quest answers err on the side of being VERY tentative in nature. Many time I would ignore all those questions when my goal was to mediate on versus study the Word, but many times I found it very helpful to have on-hand content about the "harder-to-understand" passages I was reading.
    • It's not necessary, but now that I've moved on from The Quest, I like to read the scripture I am meditating upon in a parallel bible. Here's a free online one with nice aesthetics: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/php.4.kjv. In the linked page, I chose Philippians 4 with KJV on the left and CEV on the right. If you sign up at this online bible, you can highlight passages/scriptures and add notes and so forth. You can also read this online bible on your phone. If you want, you can link up with friends at this online bible and share notes/thoughts. There are also READING PLANS available at this online bible.
  • How I meditate:
    • In the linked passage, I would read the KJV side until I got to a good break, then I would read the same scriptures on the CEV side, comparing them for deeper understanding. I would try to understand why each scripture/passage was true or powerful, what God was up to as evidenced by each scripture/passage, etc. I would keep reading that way until the whole chapter was read.
    • Then I would go back and focus on scriptures that really spoke to me, such as Phil 4: 4-9. I would think about what those scriptures mean to me, how they enhance my life, how grateful I am for God's love and provision and empowerment as evidenced in those scriptures, etc., etc.
    • After thinking about those scriptures, I might say a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving and request, e.g.: "Lord, thank you for caring so deeply about me that you don't want me to worry about a thing! Help me to put things in perspective and thus err on the side of being too gentle with myself and others than too harsh . . . Teach me how to manage my thought life to think on lovely, honorable, pure just things! Sometimes I think that might be a naive way to live! Show me what you actually mean in Phil 4:8 . . . Show me how to do Phil 4:8 wisely . . . "
    • Then I might pick one scripture or phrase to memorize so that I could meditate upon it for the day or week. For example, the CEV Phil 4:5 is something I might want to memorize so that I can use it to grow and for empowerment throughout the week. Some people take a sharpie and record the scripture on index cards and tape them on their bathroom mirror, in their car, on the fridge, etc. to help them continually memorize/meditate upon the scripture throughout the week.
    • I would continue to really meditate upon the meaning, sense, power, blessing, etc. of Phil 4:5 throughout the week. I would notice how I want God to be gentle with me and whether I was being gentle with others and myself in turn. I would try to see this scripture at work in my life or others' lives as the week goes by . . . I would be think about what makes implementing the scripture easy and what makes it hard, etc., etc.
  • Scripture via song, especially when I don't make time for the above: For me, worship songs are ESSENTIAL for getting the word into my heart, soul, mentality, and life.
    • Example: A lot of people LOVE the passage in Isaiah 40:31 and surrounding scriptures. It's about how those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. According to many sermons I've heard about this scripture, this is a type of waiting that means to wait expectantly and not necessarily inactively, but with certainly faith and hope and trust. ONE WAY THAT I MEDITATE UPON THAT VERSE IS BY LISTENING TO THIS SONG:
    • Example: If there is a worship song that I find just speaks to my soul, I'll look at the lyrics and go and find scripture that resonates with the lyrics. Then I will meditate upon those scriptures.
That's just how I have done it. Others may have better insight/methods to share.

This is just for me: As far as choosing a church, after ensuring that the church aligns with the bible (read their belief statements!), I then look at my needs and beliefs:
  • I need worship time to usher me into worship.
  • I need the sermons to be bible-centric and show me God's love for me and others while also pushing me to grow in knowledge, discipleship, trust, and service.
  • I need the preacher and church leaders to live moral lives and be educated in scripture, leadership, teaching, church administration, etc. I also need the leadership to be humble and to view themselves as accountable to and under God, etc.
  • I need the church to attend to members' needs according to their age, relationship status, etc.
  • I need the church to be very transparent with money matters.
  • I need a scandal-free / drama-free environment: When a church is about Christ, you can tell.
 
ItsMeLilLucky

ItsMeLilLucky

NotLucky no mo' just blessed.
Great Response! Thank you for answering my questions in depth! God bless you!
mysblossom said:
Neat questions, @whosthatcurl. :smile:

I can't speak with any expertise, and I'm sure others will chime in, but I noticed that no one has responded yet, so I'll share what I can!

Others' resources/thoughts regarding meditating upon God's Word:

How I mediate upon the Word:
  • How I choose a passage:
    • NOTE: There is a REALLY interesting book that discusses personality/temperament and the bible books one should read often based on one's temperament. I don't think all that is necessary, but I do find that as a melancholy/sanguine blend, reading the books of Philippians and Ephesians is good for me!
    • I usually choose a book in the bible that I know speaks deeply to me, or I'll choose a book in the bible that I haven't read in awhile so that I can enjoy reading it to see if anything in it really speaks to me.
      • Examples:
        • The book of Philippians (especially chapter 4) really speaks to me.
        • The book of Ephesians really speaks to me.
        • The book of Romans really speaks to me.
        • The book of First John really speaks to me.
        • Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Isaiah have so much life-applicable material that I sometimes just flip to one of those bible books and begin reading wherever I first open the book . . . or I focus on well-known passages in those books, such as Psalms 37 or 23 . . . or Isaiah 40.
        • I find the Old Testament bible stories to take me back to my childhood, and I find the parables of Jesus to teach me a lot about how to think and feel, so I'll read those as well.
  • What bible I read for meditation purposes:
    • It's not necessary, but for newbies, I really really really really really recommend The Quest bible. In the margins of The Quest bible are tons and tons of questions that one might ask . . . to the tune of "Why did that happen?" and "What does that mean!?!!" Especially for challenging-to-interpret passages, The Quest answers err on the side of being VERY tentative in nature. Many time I would ignore all those questions when my goal was to mediate on versus study the Word, but many times I found it very helpful to have on-hand content about the "harder-to-understand" passages I was reading.
    • It's not necessary, but now that I've moved on from The Quest, I like to read the scripture I am meditating upon in a parallel bible. Here's a free online one with nice aesthetics: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/php.4.kjv. In the linked page, I chose Philippians 4 with KJV on the left and CEV on the right. If you sign up at this online bible, you can highlight passages/scriptures and add notes and so forth. You can also read this online bible on your phone. If you want, you can link up with friends at this online bible and share notes/thoughts. There are also READING PLANS available at this online bible.
  • How I meditate:
    • In the linked passage, I would read the KJV side until I got to a good break, then I would read the same scriptures on the CEV side, comparing them for deeper understanding. I would try to understand why each scripture/passage was true or powerful, what God was up to as evidenced by each scripture/passage, etc. I would keep reading that way until the whole chapter was read.
    • Then I would go back and focus on scriptures that really spoke to me, such as Phil 4: 4-9. I would think about what those scriptures mean to me, how they enhance my life, how grateful I am for God's love and provision and empowerment as evidenced in those scriptures, etc., etc.
    • After thinking about those scriptures, I might say a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving and request, e.g.: "Lord, thank you for caring so deeply about me that you don't want me to worry about a thing! Help me to put things in perspective and thus err on the side of being too gentle with myself and others than too harsh . . . Teach me how to manage my thought life to think on lovely, honorable, pure just things! Sometimes I think that might be a naive way to live! Show me what you actually mean in Phil 4:8 . . . Show me how to do Phil 4:8 wisely . . . "
    • Then I might pick one scripture or phrase to memorize so that I could meditate upon it for the day or week. For example, the CEV Phil 4:5 is something I might want to memorize so that I can use it to grow and for empowerment throughout the week. Some people take a sharpie and record the scripture on index cards and tape them on their bathroom mirror, in their car, on the fridge, etc. to help them continually memorize/meditate upon the scripture throughout the week.
    • I would continue to really meditate upon the meaning, sense, power, blessing, etc. of Phil 4:5 throughout the week. I would notice how I want God to be gentle with me and whether I was being gentle with others and myself in turn. I would try to see this scripture at work in my life or others' lives as the week goes by . . . I would be think about what makes implementing the scripture easy and what makes it hard, etc., etc.
  • Scripture via song, especially when I don't make time for the above: For me, worship songs are ESSENTIAL for getting the word into my heart, soul, mentality, and life.
    • Example: A lot of people LOVE the passage in Isaiah 40:31 and surrounding scriptures. It's about how those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. According to many sermons I've heard about this scripture, this is a type of waiting that means to wait expectantly and not necessarily inactively, but with certainly faith and hope and trust. ONE WAY THAT I MEDITATE UPON THAT VERSE IS BY LISTENING TO THIS SONG:
    • Example: If there is a worship song that I find just speaks to my soul, I'll look at the lyrics and go and find scripture that resonates with the lyrics. Then I will meditate upon those scriptures.
That's just how I have done it. Others may have better insight/methods to share.

This is just for me: As far as choosing a church, after ensuring that the church aligns with the bible (read their belief statements!), I then look at my needs and beliefs:
  • I need worship time to usher me into worship.
  • I need the sermons to be bible-centric and show me God's love for me and others while also pushing me to grow in knowledge, discipleship, trust, and service.
  • I need the preacher and church leaders to live moral lives and be educated in scripture, leadership, teaching, church administration, etc. I also need the leadership to be humble and to view themselves as accountable to and under God, etc.
  • I need the church to attend to members' needs according to their age, relationship status, etc.
  • I need the church to be very transparent with money matters.
  • I need a scandal-free / drama-free environment: When a church is about Christ, you can tell.
Click to expand...
 
Lucia

Lucia

Well-Known Member
whosthatcurl said:
Do you use any additional books? Do you use music or no?
What would you suggest for a baby Christian to get besides a Bible (already own one of those lol)?
How do you meditate on the Word?
Do you pick a book at random? Or do you pray and wait to see what pops into your head?
Bonus question: How do you know when you've found "your" church?
Please forgive me for playing 21 questions but my brain is hungry lol
Click to expand...


:thought:

Mmmm.... If I was a baby Chrsitian?
Well here's what I do:

I wouldn't pick up a random book unless I got a word of mouth recommendation, read some good reviews on it online or I already know the authors work.

I start with a bible study book or guide that's well organized and covers all the basics so that I don't have to come up with it myself and "wing it"

Before meditation on the word I would build up my prayer life some first I'd say a month or two of consistent prayer 15 minutes a day is enough and reading he word.
Meditating before getting a minimal prayer life together is putting the cart before th horse so to speak.

Then I would use the guide as a reference tool on what scriptures to meditate on and start small 5-10 minutes at first then up to 15 minutes. Also if anything is really speaking to me like any issue then I'd look up a scriptures addressing that.

*I would meditate on the cross, Jesus and his sacrifice for us.
John 3:16 (I think that's a Catholic thing I don't know if Protestants do that)
IMO it's not necessary for the regular person to meditate for a long time until you're at that level and need more time.

Well for me my church found me. :lol:
I was drawn to that Church after visiting a couple different ones also We've had mini miracles happen as a result of our devotion to our lady.

I use Praise music to close a prayer session or when I'm feeling low some good music will lift me up.

Bible study guide
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/081461700X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1451526817&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=catholic+study+guide&dpPl=1&dpID=41oeX14wa+L&ref=plSrch

Some songs I listen to sometimes below especially right after prayer, the rest are Gregorian chants, monks, classical choirs or nun choirs.






GBY!
 
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