August 19, 2023
There is as much difference between the knowledge of a truth, and the meditation on a truth as there is between the light of a torch and the light of the sun. Set up a lamp or torch in the garden, and it has no influence. But the sun has a sweet influence and makes the plants to grow and the herbs to flourish.
Thomas Watson, Meditation: A Christian on the Mount
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Meditation is what brings life to the truths we read in scripture. It’s the difference between tasting food and spitting it out, which does us no good, and swallowing it and allowing it to digest so that we can receive the nutrients. There can be a temptation to quickly read through scripture so that we can check a box and get on with the rest of our day. While having the discipline to stay in the Word is good, we only do half the work if we just read the text and move on. We need to think deeply about scripture and allow it to warm our hearts so that its seeds can grow and eventually manifest in our actions.
As a practical exercise, I encourage you to use your waiting moments, when you would typically reach for your phone, meditating on something you read from the Word instead. When you’re standing in line at the grocery store, eating your lunch, or pumping your gas, even if it’s only a minute or two, try allowing your mind to go there. We’ve robbed ourselves of these “occasional meditations,” as the Puritans called them, by filling every spare moment with entertainment and distractions. Try to make a conscious effort to free up your mind on these occasions and see what happens!