Beginning the Pilgrimage

The Path of Christian Meditation

One of the most important paths of seeking God and His presence is setting aside time for quiet meditation. People can make this more difficult and complicated than is needed. God's desire is for us to come to Him as we are, and be real with Him. It's a deliberate decision on our part, to set aside time to come into His presence, and allow Him to manifest Himself to us, in numerous ways, the word of God being the most important. During this quiet time, it's a good idea to begin a pattern of finding a set place  for this divine meeting. If you use this pattern, at some point, you will begin to realize that even before you begin-His Presence is there, waiting for you. You will begin to realize just how much He longs for your companionship, love and devotion. You'll come to know by experience the truth of His word:
Those who seek me, will find Me.

Psa 27:8  When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 

Meditation has a range of meanings including to reflect on, to study, and to practice. A path to begin is to read the verse or passage of Scripture. Then you quietly meditate on it. As you consider what you've read, pray over what you just learned. You may have questions about what you've read, this is the time to begin to learn how to "inquire of the Lord", by asking Him for understanding of the verse, and show you what you may have missed. Then take a moment to contemplate the Scripture again, inviting the Holy Spirit to illuminate further on it, and wait quietly in His presence, waiting if He will add anything more. As I move from one point to another in my time with the Lord, it becomes a dialogue between friends, because the more you engage in this form of meditation, the more you realize you are developing a very precious relationship with the Creator of the universe, and He will take you deeper and deeper into His Presence. At this point is really impossible to describe the depths of His love, and the ways He will reveal Himself, to those who really want to know Him. You need to start the journey yourself, and follow Him, wherever He leads.

As you read, ponder the verse of scripture your studying, listen to your inner spirit, seeking the presence of the Lord. This is a time of reflection and turning our spirits to the Holy Spirit within, and asking His guidance and wisdom on the scriptures, and asking the Lord how they apply to you, in your life, or the situation the verse is referring to. As your reflecting on them, ask the Lord to open the verse to you and help you understand it's relevance to you, and it's understanding. In this time of "Spirit to spirit" don't be rushed, settle your heart, quiet your soul, and turn your thoughts and attention to the Lord, and seek Him, and allow Him to enter your inner chamber. Let the time spent be led by the Holy Spirit, you will find He will guide each time that's set aside. Don't try to set a rigid schedule. Let God guide the time spent. Jesus went alone into the wilderness, and upon mountains, to be alone with His Father, His pattern, should be ours. Jesus spent those hours in prayer seeking answers to the important decisions he had to make.

Before Jesus appointed the 12 who would be his apostles, Luke 6 tells us, “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Meditation was practiced by those in the Bible who had a hunger and thirst for God, and His presence. Jeremiah was a man of God who suffered many trials and adversities, but, God was with Him as he went through them. He continued to speak to Jeremiah of His promises, and continued to encourage him to keep seeking Him, and believing Him. We benefit from his great faith, and obedience to write the things given to him by the Spirit of God. What was given to Jeremiah, was for our benefit.

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
Jer 29:12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 
Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 

In closing, as you seek to learn this method of meditation, and research on this subject, be careful to not get into wrong teachings from cults. Make sure the mediation your seeking to learn, is all about the risen Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Meditation for me is a life-long pilgrimage. A steady, deliberate journey, seeking God in all His ways. The more I come to know Him, the more the hunger grows. May it be true for you also.
​Lorna Couillard

Cleanse My Heart Oh God

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD,
​my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer.” A sweet prayer, and so spiritual that it is almost as commonly used in Christian worship as the apostolic benediction. Words of the mouth are mockery if the heart does not meditate; the shell is nothing without the kernel; but both together are useless unless accepted; and even if accepted by man, it is all vanity if not acceptable in the sight of God. We must in prayer view Jehovah as our strength enabling, and our Redeemer saving, or we shall not pray aright, and it is well to feel our personal interest so as to use the word my, or our prayers will be hindered. Our near Kinsman's name, our Goel or Redeemer, makes a blessed ending to the Psalm; it began with the heavens, but it ends with him whose glory fills heaven and earth. Blessed Kinsman, give us now to meditate acceptably upon thy most sweet love and tenderness.
​(Charles Hayden Spurgeon-Treasury of David)

​​Having prayed that God would keep him from sinful actions, he now prays that God would govern, and sanctify his words and thoughts: and this was necessary to preserve him from presumptuous sins, which have their first rise in the thoughts. Redeemer - This expression seems to be added emphatically, and with special respect to Christ, to whom alone this word Goel can properly belong. John Wesley