Illustration by Tana Powell

The psalmist wrote, "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long" (Ps. 119:97). And we read in Ps. 1:1–2, "Blessed is the man . . . [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord, and on the law he meditates day and night." When many of us hear the word meditation, we think of quiet reflection upon God. But does that constitute biblical meditation? If we were to peek around the corner and catch the Old Testament believer in the act of meditation, what would we see?

A better question might be, "What did meditation sound like?" We tend to consider meditation an introspective and silent experience. But the Old Testament Jewish meditator cried out to Yahweh (Ps. 55:17) and voiced his complaint to God (Ps. 64:1). In both of these passages the Hebrew term siyach is used. Siyach is one of two words that we find translated as "meditate" in our English Bibles.

In fact, both Hebrew words for "meditate" in the Old Testament (siyach and hawgaw) carry the idea of vocalization. The word siyach is defined as "to ponder," but it can also mean "to converse aloud." The primary meaning of hawgaw (Josh. 1:8; Pss. 1:2, 19:14, 77:12, 143:5) is to make a low sound, such as the moaning of a dove (Is. 38:14) or the growling of a lion (Is. 31:4). The English equivalent is "to mutter."

Asaph's Meditations

Biblical meditation was almost always a noisy affair. In Psalm 77, Asaph provides us an example of what meditation looked like. Though we never discover what was troubling him, the intensity of his struggle is clear. In Psalm 77, he uses both siyach and hawgaw as he pours out his anguish to God.

Asaph's initial meditation in vv. 1–6 is introspective and self-focused: "I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress . . . my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused [siyach], and my spirit grew faint . . . I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused [siyach] and my spirit inquired."

Asaph's first conclusion after venting his distress is negative and irrational: "Has God forgotten to be merciful?" (v. 9).

Asaph didn't stop, however, at simply voicing his doubts to God through his groaning and crying. After his first meditation, Asaph meditated again, this time turning his soul's attention to God's mighty deeds. "I will meditate [hawgaw] on all your works and consider [siyach] all your mighty deeds" (v. 12). This meditation is focused upon God. Instead of doubt, Asaph's second meditation leads to reassurance.

Asaph practiced biblical meditation by turning his attention to God and His "mighty deeds." Even when he moaned and groaned to God in self-absorbed depression, he was meditating. But it was only as he turned his attention to God that he found reassurance.

Biblical meditation is interactive and expressive. It is the subjective aspect of understanding the Word of God. By meditating, we make the correlation between the things God is saying and the joys and pains of our lives. It is different from the analyses and exegetical exercises we generally include in our Bible study. Meditation allows God's Word to connect with our lives in a way that enables application.

Meditation and the New Testament

The New Testament has no exact equivalent of either siyach or hawgaw. However, a parallel is seen in such statements as "pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:17–18) and "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything . . . present your requests to God" (Phil. 4:6).

We tend to look at prayer and meditation as separate disciplines. In reality, they are two dimensions of the same spiritual exercise. In what other relationship would it make sense to conduct a conversation with 15 minutes of listening, followed by 15 minutes of speaking? Meditation is simply speaking and listening to God by expressing what's on our hearts and reflecting upon His Word in the same exercise.

Developing the Habit

The following steps will help you integrate meditation into your relationship with God.

Pray out loud. When your heart is heavy, pour your heart out to God by praying out loud. You might couple this activity with a walk. How well I remember some of those walks when I was a very young believer. It seemed like I had more than my share of problems—feelings of inadequacy, struggles with sin, and fears of failing as a Christian. I would be encouraged with my quiet time in the morning, but by evening I was usually overwhelmed by my lack of faith in God.

Connect your prayer to the Scriptures. By God's grace, I had developed the habit of Scripture memory. After dinner I would walk through my neighborhood and talk to God about the issues I faced. At the same time, I would think about a verse and how it might relate to what was on my mind. You might want to choose a verse that God has impressed upon your heart recently, or one that directly applies to your situation.

Write out your meditations by keeping a journal. Journaling our thoughts, burdens, and prayers is another form of meditation. If this is a new idea for you, consider this simple format.

• List a few things that you might be facing: new opportunities, trying circumstances, challenging relationships, issues with your children, etc.

• Address God when you write. Jesus told us to address God as our Father when we pray. Instead of writing, "Finances are tight," write, "Father, the financial pressure we're facing right now is getting me down."

• Read a portion of Scripture from your reading program or perhaps from Psalms.

• If a passage speaks to you, write the verse in your journal.

• Relate the passage to the issue you face. Again, address your Father when you write. If you read Heb. 13:5, don't write, "Contentment is good." Instead write, "Father, I think You're saying that I'm not content."

• Then, tell Him what you feel about that. "Father, it's hard to be content when we're two months behind on our mortgage payment and we can't see how or when we'll be able to get caught up. But Father, You promise that You will never fail me or forsake me." The keys are to keep looking at the Scriptures and to keep writing.

Pray through the psalms with a friend. This kind of meditation is especially important when you are discouraged or angry. Here are three tips to make this work for you.

• Select a psalm related to the problem you're facing. If no psalm comes immediately to mind, begin with the psalm that corresponds to the date; then read them in intervals of 30. For example, if today is July 16, you would read Psalms 16, 46, 76, 106, and 136.

• Alternate reading and praying. I like to begin by praying, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Ps. 119:18). Then read a verse or two out loud and pray the verse back t the Lord, personalizing as you pray. For example, Ps. 16:1, "Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge," becomes, "Father, thank You that even though I don't have enough money to pay all my bills this month, I am still safe because of You." Then your friend reads on and stops to pray in the same way.

• As you read and pray, don't focus on principles. Rather, look for what the passage says about God. It's easy to read the Bible looking for principles rather than what God says is true about Himself and His purposes.

Connecting God's Message to Our Lives

Meditation connects the message of God with the realities in our lives in a way that the other Word-centered disciplines do not. It brings God "into the loop." Biblical meditation is turning to our heavenly Father in His Word and making sure that our thoughts are influenced by His thoughts. Let us pray with the psalmist, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Ps. 19:14).

Mike Hildebrand serves on Navigator staff in Phoenix, Arizona.