My alarm went off at 6am. I rolled over toward the shelf by my bed, grabbed my phone to silence the alarm, and turned on my pink salt lamp to ease my eyes into light. I feel tired and groggy, yet I still proceed to pick up my bible I also have on this shelf. I begin reading Romans 6, what was listed on my reading plan for the day.
I read it, said a prayer, and closed the bible, placing it back on the shelf. “Wait, what did I just read?” My conscious awareness was beginning to catch up to the morning thus far. I recognized that, often, I read the bible as part of a routine that can pass by as nothing more meaningful than just that– a routine. Man, I wish I engaged in scripture more consciously. It’s God’s word, you know? There’s so much in store for me when I sit down and actually ponder what the text is saying.
God has so much grace that I have no doubt my mornings of half-awareness-Bible-reading are still blessed; yet when I do realize moments like these, I want to be proactive in actually setting apart time to cherish and meditate on God’s word and truth.
Over the last few years, I’ve learned more about Christian meditation. Meditation has become a regular spiritual discipline in my life and it has truly transformed my life. I know the term “meditation” can give off New Age vibes and create some unease for Christians… But I always remember this thought: Everything good is from God, and everything ‘good’ the world has is just taking what God created and twisting it. What I mean is that meditation is originally from God. So, as a Christian, I can use it the way God intended to– to meditate on him, his words, and his transforming work in my life through his Spirit.
In his book “Every Breath We Take,” Terry Wardle defines the purpose of meditation, or Christian contemplation, like this: “Christian contemplation is about cultivating stillness, increased awareness in the present moment, openness to the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit, and an experiential encounter with God.” It’s about truly living and experiencing God in real-time, since it’s true that he is always present and within us.
God is way more than just a being to ponder, someone we know only intellectually; he’s an all-knowing type of person. I don’t just learn about him in concepts, I experience him in real life. He’s close, he’s near, he’s real, and his right-now presence is powerful in transforming me, his creation.
I’ve been creating my own guided meditations lately, sometimes walking through a specific scripture and sometimes walking through general truth. I’ve been highly influenced by the work of Terry Wardle and also adapted the work of others into my meditations. Over the next 2 months, I am going to share these guided meditations. They’ll be somewhere between 5-10 minutes in length, designed to listen to and contemplate in a slowed space (i.e. not while driving, cooking, cleaning, etc.). My desire is for you to experience God’s word and his truth in a new, experiential type of way through slowing down and really letting his words and truth sink into your soul.
Are you ready?
Here’s my first one: Come to Me.
UPDATE: As of June 2023, my website plan no longer supports audio files. I was able to publish one meditation (see link above), but I am unable to do any more due to my current plan. When I am able to upgrade my plan, I will resume the meditation series. For now, it is paused until further notice.
Write with a Purpose 