How to Speak to a God in a Funny Way
You know how important it is to study God's Word in depth. But, how do you actually accomplish that? In this post, we'll talk about how to meditate on God's Word, with five creative ways you can saturate yourself with Scripture.
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Meditation. It sounds kind of woo-woo, doesn't it?
I think when most of us hear the word "meditation", we think of zoning out, like just sitting and clearing one's head and improving one's focus. Like, a new-agey yoga practitioner who meditates. Or, just someone who meditates to de-stress. But actually, the word "meditate" simply means "to engage in thought or contemplation; reflect" (according to Dictionary.com).
So, then what does it mean to meditate on Scripture? For us as Christians, to "meditate" on Scripture simply means to dwell on it. To contemplate what it means for us, how we can apply it in our lives, and even to listen for the unique ways God may be speaking to us through a particular verse.
So for us, meditation can be a little less woo-woo, and LOT more helpful-Bible-study-technique.
Why is meditating on God's Word important?
But still, you might be wondering: Why meditate?
And the answer is, simply because "meditating" on God's Word will help you understand it better, internalize its truths, and learn from it. Meditating on the Scriptures is way more than just reading—it's saturating yourself with God's truth.
There are so many benefits of meditating on the Word of God! Have you ever read a Scripture passage, and then a day later, you pretty much forgot what you read? By meditating on that Scripture, you'll not only increase comprehension of it, but also be better able to remember what you learned. Meditation also goes hand-in-hand with memorization. When you dwell on a particular Bible verse again and again, eventually you'll commit it to memory.
When you learn how to meditate on God's Word, you grow in your knowledge of Scripture, and in your relationship with Jesus. As 2 Peter 3:18 says, you are to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". Meditating (contemplating, pondering, and thinking deeply about God's Word) is a great way to do that.
How to Meditate on God's Word: 5 Creative Ways
There are plenty of ways you can contemplate the meaning and message of God's Word, depending on how you learn best or what your preferences are. Here, I've listed five excellent ways for how to meditate on the Word of God effectively, to help you get started.
1) Write it down, and post it in a prominent place
If you want to know how to meditate on God's Word, perhaps the simplest and easiest way is simply to write it down! Take a verse that you want to ponder, and write it on a post-it note or an index card. Stick it next to your bed, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your fridge, carry it in your pocket, or anywhere else where you'll see it multiple times. This way, you can be reminded to meditate on God's Word day and night.
Every time you see your written Bible verse, recite it in your mind (or read it out loud). Ask youself, what does this mean? And, how can I apply it in my life? Then, after a while when you feel you've "meditated" on it enough, switch it up with a new verse to meditate on. By continuing to do this, you can fill your mind with God's Word even as you go about your normal daily activites.
2) Bible journal it
Is there a passage of Scripture that's really speaking to you? Bible journaling is a great way to spend some extra time pondering and studying on it, and to record what you're learning in a creative way.
One of the reasons I love Bible art journaling, is because it gives me a way to sort of "bookmark" the Scriptures, so I won't forget what I learned, and it's also easy to refer back to later. Many of the Bible journal pages I've done, I regularly re-read and remind myself of what it means and how to apply it. Lord knows, I need those good benefits of meditating on the Word of God, to keep my eyes on Jesus and walk in his ways!
3) Do a verse map on it
Do you have a passage of God's Word that you'd like greater understanding of, or you want to be intentional about applying to your life? If so, verse mapping is one of the best Bible meditation exercises you can use. It's not only pondering the meaning of the verse, but also researching definitions of key words, the original Hebrew or Greek words, additional translations, and other resources that can increase your understanding.
The end goal, is to craft a personalized statement, almost like paraphrasing the verse and how you'll apply it to your life. You can see below, how I did this verse map on Joshua 1:9, and then recorded my final 'statement' in my journaling Bible.
4) Pray it out loud
Another great practical way to meditate on God's Word, is to pray it back to God. Meditation and prayer together help you to internalize the Scripture and communicate with God while you're doing it. And the Psalms are especially great to pray out loud! I frequently pray Psalm 51:10, and Psalm 86:11-13, as these are such great centering-your-heart-on-God kind of prayers.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (NIV)
Teach me your way, Lord,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead.
Psalm 86:11-13 (NIV)
With many other Scriptures, you can simply change the pronouns to the first person (like 2 Corinthians 12:9, which then becomes "your grace is sufficient for me, for your power is made perfect in weakness").
5) Hand letter it
And lastly, I have one more creative way for how to meditate on Scripture for you. And that is, to hand letter it! No, no, it's not just writing…hand lettering is different, because it forces you think more deeply about the Scripture. Like, which words in the passage deserve more emphasis? What's the overall message? And, how can I capture that in artistic form?
In my experience, the process of hand lettering a Bible verse usually results in me naturally committing that verse to memory. I've just looked at it for so long, pondered it, and sketched and erased and sketched again, that I can't help but remember it.
Now that you have some ideas for how to meditate on God's Word, which Bible meditation methods will you use? Or, which ones are you already doing, and how are they working for you? I'd love to hear!
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I'm a Jesus-lovin' girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you're new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won't miss anything!
Source: https://www.divinecreativelove.com/gods-word/
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