…you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may…make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success…- Joshua 1:8, Amplified Bible, AMP

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary,* the word “meditation” has the following meanings:

1. to engage in contemplation or reflection
2. to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
3. to focus one’s thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over
4. to plan or project in the mind : intend, purpose

In Joshua 1:8, God teaches us to meditate on His Word day and night so that we will have prosperity and success in our lives – prosperity and success, that is, as God defines it, which is joy and peace, no matter what our circumstances, due to our harmonious relationship with God. But how do we meditate? Many people believe – as I did for years – that there is only one way to meditate: quarantine yourself in some sequestered room, sit down Indian-style with palms facing the sky, close your eyes, and chant “Ohm-Ohm” while you think about the Word. One of the best kept secrets in Christianity, however, is that meditating on God’s Word can take different forms for different people.

For some, meditation is best accomplished by engaging in the stereotypical process detailed above. But, for others, mediation can take on any number of forms. I, for example, cannot sit still and just think about the Word. If I do, I fall asleep! Yet, for decades as a Christian, I tried meditating unsuccessfully in the stereotypical way. Since starting Today’s Quote From God, God has taught me that He wired me to meditate by writing. In order to prepare each lesson, I must meditate on and understand His Word so that I may properly express Its meaning to others.

God has wired many Christians, like me, to meditate through writing. But He has wired many others to mediate on His Word through musical expression, through artistic expression, through teaching, through business-building, and through many other avenues I cannot begin to imagine. God has instilled in each of His children a passion for creative expression, and He wants us to use that creative passion as a means of understanding His Truth and of sharing His Truth with others. In order to be better writers, musicians, artists, teachers, businesspeople, or whatever for Christ, we will have to meditate on how His Word applies to us so that we can do a better job of expressing to others how His Word applies to them.

If you are trying to meditate on God’s Word in a way that puts you to sleep, you aren’t meditating in the way for which you were wired. Identify your passion for creative expression. Think on how God would have you use your passion to express His Truth to others. Then, think on what His Word means to you so that you can do a better of job of showing others, through your creative expression, what God can mean to them.

* Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, iPad App

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