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As we begin reading the Bible afresh in the New Year, let me encourage you not just to read your Bible, but to meditate on the Scriptures. The Scriptures emphasize that we should not just read them, but we should think about them. When I use the word meditation, I do not mean the common idea of it today. But instead, I am talking about purposeful contemplation and thinking about the Word of God. (Asking questions will help you to think about the Scriptures... such as, What is the Lord plainly saying in this passage? What does this reveal to me about the character of God? How does this apply to my everyday life? Is this an example to be followed or an example not to follow?) So often, we do not reap the abundant treasure of wisdom from the Scriptures because we do not spend time thinking about the Scriptures. Consider the following verses that emphasize this spiritual discipline:

Joshua 1:8 “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.”

Psalm 1:1-2 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Psalm 63:5-6 “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.”

Psalm 77:12 “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”


There are almost a dozen references to meditation in the Old Testament. Psalm 119, in fact, holds the most references in the Old Testament of the word ‘meditate’ and ties that crucial discipline to the Word of God. That Psalm is an acrostic, expressing through the Hebrew alphabet, the psalmist’s desire for the Word of God. How fitting it is then for the psalmist to emphasize this vital step in our reading and study of the Word of God. 

As we consider this, we realize that the Devil has worked hard to keep us so busy that we do not stop to think. The order of the day is that we must continually be moving from one thing to another with no thought at all. See, the Devil knows that time is always passing, and the busier we make our lives, the less time we will spend in fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Enjoy your time with the Lord, my friend, and meditate on His Word! He has something very special for you!