I was talking yesterday with one of our pastors who also teaches in a local college. His background is in logic and his course subject is Aristotle. We had talked about the decline in the church in recent years, but he remarked that we face a far more serious problem, a decline in thinking. He said he is trying to teach Aristotle to students with an eight second attention span. This was not just the frustration of one teacher, but a reality that is widespread. Our age of handheld electronics and instant, but often superficial, information has decreased our ability to be quiet in mind and heart, and to meditate on the things God has place around us. The Psalmist invites us to “Be still, and know that I am God…”(46:10) The call to be still before God is repeated six time in the Old Testament. Can we be? Can we sit still and have a quiet conversation with one or two others? Or can we sit still on a sofa and just think about the Lord, or about life in general? Can we be quiet enough to hear our Lord speak? I hope some can.
Tag Archives: meditate
Good Morning December 12
Little children love to ask the question “why?”. It can be irritating to parents when it is frequently repeated, or is a word of defiance. However, it is a really good question. It is one we should never stop asking. Why has been the source of many discoveries. Let’s think of it in the context of our faith. The Psalmist asks it a dozen time in a little different form. “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(77:12) To think about our Lord, to ponder all He has done, to meditate on His laws, is to ask why this has been established in this way. It is not arrogant or defiant. As with the Psalmist, it is humbly drawing near to God, and being open for the Holy Spirit to teach. As we read His holy word, and think about one or two verses, the Lord will bring other verses to mind that apply, and deepen our understanding. God doesn’t answer all of our why questions, but if they are asked in humility and trust He will bring His light to our lives.
Good Morning June 2
Psalm 1 begins, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” I like that phrase, “his delight is in the law of the Lord.” Do we delight in the Lord? I have often mentioned that both Old and New Testaments use the marriage image as a figure for God and Israel, and for Christ and the Church. When a young man falls in love with a girl, he delights in her, and visa versa. There is delight in thinking of the beloved. Such should be our relationship with the Lord. Too often we picture God as only rules and regulations, but God, revealed to us in our Lord Jesus Christ, is our bridegroom seeking the very best for us. We are, or should be, anticipating the time when we are fully in His presence. Meditating on Him and His will is a joy because it brings us ever closer to Him. God is good!
Life Has Meaning 