Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer.

What is meditation?

When we hear the word meditation, we automatically think of a yogi wearing spandex with long hair humming. This is a picture of a far eastern religion where people think they are part of the universe rooted in Buddhism and Hinduism. This is not the type of meditation David is referring to here in the Psalms. What David is talking about is taking scripture and getting in a quiet place then pondering what God is saying to us.

Meditation in Christianity is a focused attention on the word of God. Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. How often do you go to a quiet place, sit down and know that there is a Holy God in Heaven? Then taking His word and just think about what he is saying through it to speak to your soul. This is a critical step in growth in our faith and understanding.

What do we learn from meditating?

Psalm 49:3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. Wisdom is a gift from God about Godliness. This is not the same as be intelligent and full of knowledge. Godly wisdom teaches us how to properly use our intelligence and the knowledge we have acquired. This comes by thinking. Thinking about the word of God, then looking at the world around us and thinking about how God’s wisdom He gave us can change the wrong we see.

Psalm 119:99 I have more understanding than all of my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditations. Most people never read this verse because it is the 99th verse of Chapter 119. But look what David is telling us. David has more understanding than the people who taught him because of meditating on God’s testimony. This is the advantage of meditation. Do you want to rise out of the situation you are in? Start meditating on what God is telling you through His word.

Where does meditating on God’s word lead?

Luke 2:30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation. Simeon had been waiting all his life just for this moment. It had been prophesied that he would not see death before seeing the Messiah. He meditated on this moment for more years than we could imagine. Then one day he truly set his eyes on the one he had seen in his mind over and over again. He finally saw the salvation he meditated on.

This is a call to those who do not know Jesus as Savior. Our thoughts lead us to the places we end up. Do you want mercy? Do you want grace? Then focus and meditate on Jesus. He will truly lead you on the path to being righteous!