Meditation is a lost art in our society today. Everything is fast-paced and geared to the existential moment. We communicate with sound bytes and bursts of visual energy. Who thinks anymore? Are you kidding? Who has time to think?
A number of years ago Neil Postman (a secular media analyst) wrote a book entitled “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” in which he demonstrated that our society has moved from a print-based culture to an image-based culture. In other words, our attention span and information retention level has been conditioned by the television. TV is highly visual with fast-paced imaging, and it is geared to a thirty-minute cycle with periodic commercial breaks. It is designed for entertainment. Content is secondary, and imaging is primary. Experiencing the moment is everything.
Now God’s Word isn’t exactly like that (which is probably why so few people study the Bible these days). In Psalm 1:2, God says, “Blessed is the man…whose delight is in the [Word] of the Lord; and in his [Word] doth he meditate day and night.” You see, God considers meditation to be a valuable thing to do, but our societal conditioning works against us here.
The word “meditate” is a word that basically means “to murmur or sigh.” It also came to mean “to muse or meditate,” because people often made little murmuring sounds when they mused on something.
This is a word of contemplation and careful thought, where the mind is seriously engaged for a period of time. That’s what God wants us to do with His Word. He wants us to think about it – to meditate on what it says. Well, this goes beyond just reading the Bible, right? Obviously, it’s important to think about what is being read – to pause and ponder over and apply the things that God is saying. “Blessed is the man…who meditates on God’s Word.”
Now you know the real meaning of the word.
Hey. I’m wondering – do you know where the “OFF” button is on your TV? Well, why don’t you click it and spend time studying God’s Word.