What it means to meditate on God's word

[Raine]

Throughout the bible, we are told to meditate upon God's word and to hide it in our hearts. We are reminded that God's word is the lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path.

1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3

5My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.  7Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Psalm 63:5-7

14I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.  15I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.  16I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Psalm 119:14-16

10With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  12Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes. Psalm 119:10-12

105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105

So what does it mean to meditate on God's word? A passage in Deutoronomy 6 gives a great description of how we are to meditate upon God's word. We are to continually be speaking about God's word, thinking about God's word and remembering His word everywhere that we go and in everything that we do. It's supposed to be like we literally have God's word tied to our hand as a reminder or hanging before our eyes to keep us along the right path.

Steps to Meditating on God's word

1. Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, soul and might.
2. Put God's words in your heart.
3. Teach His word diligently to your children
4. Talk about God's word when you're at home
5. Talk about God's word when you are out in the world
6. Talk about God's word when you go to sleep
7. Talk about God's word when you awake
8. Bind His Word about you as a sign to remember His word
9. His word shall be as fontlets between your eyes, so that you can continually see His word
10. Write God's words in your house so that it surrounds you everywhere.

4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:  
5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  
6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  
7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  
8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deutoronomy 6:4-9

17Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee.  18And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers. unto our fathers.  24And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.  25And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us. Deutoronomy 6:17-25

[Brother Hicks]

Excellent advice. I heard a story about some believers overseas and thought this would really challenge more Westernized believers. The church has a weekly Bible verse memorization, and everyone from the elderly to the youth are expected to memorize the "verse." When they got up to quote it the brother there realized it was not a verse, but it was a whole chapter. They memorize a chapter a week, this week being the entire second chapter of Acts. The elderly and the youth quoted the whole chapter. I pray for this hunger and love for the word of God to fill the Western church. I find few that enjoy the word and meditate on it and know we are a few. It is great to see other believers hungering and thirsting for righteousness. It should challenge the faith of those that barely even read their Bible's, much less memorize anything from the Scriptures. If you have no love or hunger for God's word then it is unlikely you are born again, and you need to obey the verse below:

2 Corinthians 13:5
5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?