In the Greek and Hebrew the word meditation is hagah: and meletao: It means to ponder over
and have a prime interest of resolving things in our mind of becoming more Christ like on matters that are of mutual interest
and concern between God and our self. In turn, this causes us to do creative acts and use our human abilities being motivated
and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This type relationship produces concepts and mental images that are new and original day
by day. These concepts and images cause us at times to experience pleasure and anger as we murmur and mourn for fulfillment.
If it is our intent to truly seek the Lord; we must be firmly believe what is
stated in Psalms 1:2-3. "We should be delighting and have a desire to meditate in the word of God both day and night.
If we do this, we will be like a tree firmly planted by a stream of water and this will cause us to bear much fruit in its
season. In turn; our blessing from God will not fade or wither and everything we put our hand to under God's instructions
will cause us to prosper as we mature."
The word meditate is mentioned 14
times in the bible and 9 of those times it is listed in the book of Psalms. It is only fitting because; King David was a perfect
meditater and example of a God seeker from his childhood until his death. He did wander for a while however; God pegged him
as a man after His own heart. When I read that forty some years ago; it witnessed in me a desire in my own heart to be like
him and I have never looked back. I have been tempted and tried to quit but God has always brought me through. What greater
privilege and honor can a child of God have then for God to say, "We have a heart and fellow feelings like Him?"
Therefore, if we have no hunger and desire with passion to seek after God, there
will be no habit of us doing studies in the daytime or when it is night. Daytime means, when we are not under any pressure
and at rest just enjoying our peace of mind. Night time means, when we are under pressure and attack by the devil going through
a trial of life and becoming weary. The word habit is defined, as a tendency toward an action or condition which by us continually
repeating it, has become contrary to things that at one time was against our own will to do.
Paul
the Apostle in 11Timothy 1:12 says, "I am suffering because of the call on my life. Never the less I am not ashamed:
for I know in whom I have believed in and I have been persuaded that God is able to keep that which I have committed unto
Him against that day."
Paul was going through the normal faith trials in his life. He was learning what the process
was, and through these life experiences, he was being persuaded by God to change his mind and be even more committed to Him.
He told Timothy, "the day I personally meet the Lord it will finally confirm to me that, I was right in following God's
instructions in my life." The word persuaded means, to pacify or convince by argument if necessary and to become obedient
and make a friend. When this happens, we bring an end to a conflict to the warring conflicts in our mind and a peace begins
to reign in our total being.
There are scores of people that have unresolved
issues with God and live in a (deep seated bondage of denial) that has kept them powerless, defenseless and ineffectual in
their spiritual walk with the Lord.
We know the story of Paul how before he became
a Christian, he went about killing people in the name of Lord. Of how on the road to Damascus he had, an encounter with a
flash of light from heaven and God got his attention and he had a miraculous conversion. I am convinced through scripture
and my experiences, fellowship, and the testimonies of fellow Christians that, if we are going to grow up in Jesus Christ
we must enter into the arena of understanding the meditation life of the Spirit.
There
is a great concern in me when I encounter so many born again believers and unsaved people who have fallen between the cracks
and have missed their purpose and God's call on their life. There is a harvest of people who are ready to be gathered
in the market places if, the Christians in the pews on Sunday morning will yield to God and begin to minister Jesus in their
circles of influence. This bless and tickle my ear mentality in the churches of today must cease.
We need a constant every day conversion and flushing out of our mind by the Holy Ghost of any thing contrary
to God's nature. Christianity has become a concept in many circles that because; we were born into some type of so-called
Christian values or the same denomination that we‘re all God's children. This cannot be any farther from the truth.
As Paul had to repent and acknowledge his need for God, so do us from any of this false understanding of scripture.
This type of relationship is the beginning of wanting to seek after God. It is a joy to see altar
calls on Sunday night meetings and hearing and seeing people's heart cry and people being saved. Also the encounters with
people in the market places of life and talking with them about their hopes, growing pains and their daily encounters with
the Holy Spirit should follow next. Do you look for opportunities to talk about the Lord in your daily travels? It is a rewarding
feeling of achievement and it adds so much to our purpose for living when, we take the opportunity to be going about our Heavenly
Father's business in our daily travels.
This type of achievement is a motivator
in our desire for excellence and it will raise you above the mundane distractions of life that we all encounter.
We can see from the interpretation of mediating that, we have to have a hunger to pursue a constant
reasoning with the Holy Spirit and wanting to be molded and changed by Him. There has to be a passion involved in meditating
by us having a fervent devotion and feelings of desire. It says that we will murmur and have feelings of pleasure and anger
and be mourning at times.
Murmur is a continual complaint like having an auscultation
procedure being done on your physical body. This is what a doctor does when he checks your heart with a stethoscope to see
how well or sick your heart is. As we meditate with the Holy Spirit, He has a spiritual stethoscope on our soulish heart and
He is giving us an evaluation of what He believes has to be corrected and persuade so we can rest in God's grace and favor.
When we have concepts in our thinking that; it is a sin to complain, murmur in
our searching for purpose and fulfillment in trying to find our identity as God's children and we judge this process;
we allow the meditating process to be stunted and we begin to live in denial because of not being able to be honest with our
true feelings in our conversations with God. Murmuring is part of the healing process of coming into agreement with God. We
are always going to have conflicts when the Holy Ghost gives us new revelations of His thoughts.
When a person stays in a humble attitude; this means that; we must be able stay in a constant evolution of
change at all times to God's way of thinking and doing. This is the key to prosperous living and it takes time and patience
to learn that, God is a healer and maturer of humanity in all areas.
A
trust and loving relationship with God will open up our lives to Him and we will begin to murmur less because of our proven
record of accomplishment through the Holy Ghost and us coming to truly understand that God does not lie and His word can be
trusted.
Now it also says we will have emotions of pleasure and anger in this
process. Have you ever called on God with a gut-wrenching cry deep in your heart for what you believe at the time to be a
life and death situation? Maybe you had a sickness that caused you to have great physical pain. Maybe it was a debt that came
do and you thought I am going to starve or lose my house. You were desperate. You cried out to God one minute and became angry
with Him the next minute. You vacillated somewhere between heaven and hell. You thought, He promised to be there for me and
where is He when I am afraid and hurting so much.
Maybe to some of you this example
is an extreme case and you have never been between a rock and a hard place. It's these gut-wrenching trials that make
our roots and trust in God grow deep as we abandon ourselves to that still small voice that we must be learning to trust and
obey in the meditating hours of our life. This condition is a continual process of living our lives as we seek after God and;
we need to know that He is the source of all revelation and comfort for all of life situations.
It goes on to say that we will mourn. The word mourns in the Greek is pentheo: It means, to grieve, have sorrow,
and have passionate feelings. Jesus in his discourse in the Beatitudes in Mathew 5:4 said, "Blessed are they that mourn
for they will be comforted." The word comforted is parakaleo: It means to be called near and come beside and to invite.
Using the Greek interpretation it reads, "Blessed are they that grieve and have sorrow and feel the passion and hunger
for a relationship with God, for their hunger will invite and draw the Holy Ghost near to their side." (This has to be
our main goal in life if; we intend to be comforted and secure in Christ.)
II
Timothy 3:16 it tells us, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,
for correction and for instruction in righteousness." Scripture was written for man to realize that his first love duty
is to know God intimately and allow Him to draw near to us. It was also written so we can understand those areas of our ignorance
that stops God from having true fellowship with Him. When we have a lack of passion and commitment in our desire in seeking
God, it is impossible to have a fellow feeling with His desires for us. To be instructed in righteousness is learning to feel
God's heart beat and walk in the same footsteps as Him.
God's characteristics
are all shut up within the walls of righteousness and His Righteous Sprit is living in us.
King
David was a meditater and sought the Lord day and night. It is through our meditating life style that brings us the reality
of who God is and the jealous love that He has for us. Let's use David as an inspiration and see his hearts condition
and how he meditated. I will only touch on two psalm references to show his heart's condition and the heart we need have
to seek after God. Psalms is loaded with David's meditating life and exposing him self to God.
Psalms 119; 146-148 reads, "Lord I am crying to you; continue to restore me so that I will have the opportunity
to keep your testimonies by hearing, loving and obeying them. I know the morning is coming but I continue to cry to you like
a child and hope to hear a word from you. I look forward to these night watches I have with you and I am at my heart station
before the allotted time that I might meditate and hear a word from you." What dedication, abandonment and an unquenchable
appetite for a relationship with a living God. It seems to me; he just wanted to be swallowed up with the presences of God
in his life. It is obvious that, as he experienced God's personality and the affection He had for him, it made him hungrier
in his pursuit of God.
Psalms 63: 1-6 reads, "you are my God; with a deep
seated conviction will I seek you: my being is weak and I have a hunger for you. Apart from you, I live a life that is wearisome
and there is no purpose and joy. So I am looking to you in the secrete place in my heart, to see your power and glory. Because
your loving-kindness is better than my life, I will through my lips praise you. I will continue to praise you while I have
life in me. I will lift up the talents you have given me and do your works. This will make me whole, complete and satisfied.
There will be in me praise and worship and it will be constantly coming out of my mouth because, I will be remembering and
be meditating on you in the night time watches."
David through the years
since his childhood had become addicted to the presence of the Lord. He had come to realize and knew the difference of a relationship
with God and one without. There was no denial in him. He had through the experiences of his life come to know what was needed
to turn him on and off in his daily travels. What transparency and openness in his prayer life with humility and broken spirit
before God. It is no wonder; he was a man after God's own heart.
