The Benefit of Meditating on Scriptures

In today’s age, many people are goal-oriented; filling up a checklist of goals and completing them as quickly as possible. Studying the Bible is often no different.

As a yearly goal, many people desire to read the entire Bible. You can find numerous reading plans to support this endeavor. Now, there’s nothing wrong with reading the Bible in one year, as faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), but there is a great benefit in meditating on scriptures.

To meditate is to spend time in quiet thought or focus your thoughts (reflect, ponder). In this context, it gives careful consideration to a particular passage of scripture—often one or two verses at a time.

Consider this, as the Lord was commissioning Joshua to lead the Israelites after Moses’ death, one of the things He said was:

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success (Joshua 1:8).

For Joshua to be a successful leader, he would accomplish two tasks that would provide three benefits. First, he would not allow the book of the law to depart out of his mouth. Everything he speaks would be in alignment with the book of the law given to Moses by God. This would impact everything he speaks to those he leads and every person that hears his words. The people of Israel would continually receive the book of the law to guide them as well.

Second, Joshua would meditate on the book of the law day and night. Throughout his days, he would need to consider the law in quiet thought and reflection. It would be an all-consuming process that fills his thoughts and saturates his heart, conduct, and words.

Through Joshua’s meditation and not allowing the law to depart from his mouth he would be able to observe everything that was written in the book of the law, make his own way prosperous, and have good success.

In many respects, each of us are leaders in some capacity. We are given responsibilities and tasks that impact our families, workplaces, and churches. As we have a commission to go out into all the world; baptize others in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and teach everything Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20), we must begin as Joshua had, with meditation and not allowing Jesus’ commands to depart from our mouths; to meditate on His commands day and night. In doing so, we’ll follow His will and find eternal rest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

^{Photo courtesy of flickr.com/cakper}