“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)
We cannot reign in this life without being full of the Word of God. When this verse was written it referred to the first five books of the Bible, but today we have a complete Bible which includes the New Testament and shows us how Jesus brought one covenant (way of relating to God) to an end and brought in the New Covenant for us (Hebrews 8:6-13). Today, “this book of the law” can refer to the whole Bible and certainly includes the revelation of Jesus and His finished Work. We cannot prosper apart from Jesus (John 15:4; Romans 5:17). Simply knowing scripture is not enough. We must know the Living Word – Jesus Christ. A solid relationship with Him will be based on His Word which reveals His nature and will. Without knowing the Word, we perish and suffer (Hosea 4:6).
“…you shall meditate in it day and night…”
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV)
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
We are told to “meditate” on the Word and “study it”. There is no instruction to read it. Reading the Bible is not enough. Obviously, we need to read the Bible in order to study it and meditate on it, but too many Christians leave it there. And that’s why so many do not see the Word working for them – the seed of the Word hasn’t been planted deep enough in the soil of their hearts, but is only a superficial understanding of the Word which has no root (Mark 4:16-17). No root, no fruit.
“Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”
1 Timothy 4:15 (NKJV)
This verse shows us that Biblical meditation is “giving yourself entirely to” the truths in God’s Word. It’s not emptying your mind like eastern mediation, but rather it is filling your mind with the Word and focusing on it. The Message Bible describes meditation as “chewing on scripture night and day” (Psalm 1:2-3). Chewing is a repetitive action. We need to continually think about the scripture we read: ponder on it, pray over it, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal truth in it to us. We eat food a couple times a day and this gives our bodies the necessary fuel to function. You don’t eat food once a week or now and then. Our souls and inner life are fed by the truth of the Word. Don’t starve yourself and hinder your growth as a believer by snacking on the Word – feast on it, often.
“Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”
1 Timothy 4:15 (NKJV) – emphasis mine
Meditating on God’s Word will bring fruitfulness to the degree that those around us will see the fruit. If we cannot see the blessings of God in our lives, then we have to ask ourselves if we’ve truly filled ourselves with God’s Word by meditating on it.
“…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Psalm 1:2-3 (ESV) – emphasis mine
The fruit of meditating on God’s Word is that we are planted (established) “by streams of water” (we will never be thirsty or dry because God’s Word brings continual refreshing to our souls, and life to our bodies). We will also experience the fruit of God’s Word (or seed) that we have planted in our hearts. Being full of the Word will cause us to prosper in all that we do (Deuteronomy 28:8).
Like physical exercise, meditation requires discipline to push through the natural resistance to it (largely due to our laziness and unfitness). When you start doing it, everything in and around you will try and distract you from following through – but the more you do it, the easier it gets.
Thought to focus on for the day:
As you read Scripture, make notes of verses that stick out for you. Maybe write them on a card that you can carry around, or make a note of them on your phone. Throughout the day, set aside a few minutes to read through these verses again and again, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you. To start off, you can find Scriptures relevant to your life right now, and meditate on those (for example: healing, prosperity, destiny, not having to fear).
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