Dwelling in the Word: A Beginner’s Guide to Biblical Meditation

Meditation is listening to God’s word, reflecting on God’s works, rehearsing God’s deeds, and ruminating on God’s Laws.

When we meditate we are learning to savor every morsel of God’s truth, his law, and all the life giving scriptures. 

How to get started:

1. Start a Bible reading plan. Be sure to read from the Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and the New Testament 
2. Choose a small portion of scripture that the Holy Spirit impresses on your heart. Don’t neglect your daily Bible reading. God will speak to you through your reading. 
3. Emphasize different words in the portion of scripture or from your Bible reading. Define the word, read from other translations to get a clearer meaning. Ask the Holy Spirit how this pertains to your life. Be sure to savor every word in the text. 
4. Find a place and time. Get rid of all the distractions and set your time just like you would for any other appointment. Schedule your Bible time on your calendar. Don’t let others take your Bible time because you have a rule that that time is God’s and not anyone else’s. 
5. Start with prayer and worship to God. Really spend time worshiping God. Lean in on the Holy Spirit.  
6. Biblical Meditation is in the heart. Psalm 119:14-15 “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”
7. Biblical Meditation can be anytime. Psalm 119:148 ” My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.”
8. Biblical Meditation is meditating on God’s works, His ways, His will. Psalm 143:5 ” I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.” Psalm 119:15 ” I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.”  How has God worked in your life? What direction is God directing you to go? 
9. Biblical Meditation is a form of Spiritual Warfare. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “The weapons we fight with are not weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. “ Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.” Our thoughts should not run rampant but are to be captured and submitted to Jesus. This is warfare. Trying to instill the word of God into your life and learning how to strengthen yourself in the word. David strengthened himself and wrote down what he did in the Psalms giving us an example of how to strengthen our Spirit and our Soul. Rewrite the scriptures in your own words. You are asking the Holy Spirit what it means for you and your life. 
10. Formulate a principle from the text. What is it trying to teach you? What is the scripture communicating? What is it trying to illustrate to you? What is the picture it is trying to draw for you? 
11. What is the application from the portion of scripture? Scripture has one interpretation but many applications. What is the Holy Spirit showing you in this time of your life? 
12. Be sure to journal what God and the Holy Spirit show you. Keeping a journal helps to show you what God is doing in your life over the years. You can see where he is working with you and teaching you.
13. How is the scripture pointing to the law or the gospel?
14. What question does this portion of scripture answer and what problem or problems does it solve?  
15. Pray through the scripture and make it your prayer to the Lord. 

Engage with the scriptures, you are doing spiritual warfare. You are getting rid of negative words and actions and implanting God’s word into your heart and mind and casting down all the devils lies and negative words he is trying to speak over your life. Keep God’s word in your life daily, and when you do you are breathing in the presence of God into your life.