Ours is a fast-paced, prepackaged, ready to consume, surface generation. Many have difficulty digging deep into anything.
The criterion for what enters their schedules is: “What’s in it for me?” Only items of high priority or great self-interest make it. We belong to a spectator generation. We enjoy sports from a distance as mere observers, not actual participants.
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We sit before the TV, in the theatre, or beside the VCR to watch others perform. With this orientation silence is boring. People need radios, TVs, IPods, MP3 players, cellular phones, Walkmans, or the boom box and the noise they provide. Yet, God bids us be still and know that He is God.
This is a call to meditation.
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At the burning bush, Yahweh told Moses to remove his shoes from his feet for God’s presence made the place where he stood holy. The Israelites had to wash themselves and their clothes to enter God’s presence.
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Speaking for God, the sons of Korah said in song: “Be still and know that I am God.” This is God’s invitation for humans to take time from their regular activities to acknowledge that there’s a bigger reality than them. There’s a first cause Who is our reason d’etre; whose presence we must appreciate and to whose wishes we must heed.
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Humans need to change focus from themselves and their activities to the Wholly Other’s. In several Psalms, the Psalmist speaks of his meditations in the law of God and His testimonies. He calls them sweet. Are you benefiting from meditation?
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An insightful Christian writer says, “When every other voice is hushed and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God.” When taken with the Psalmist’s call to stillness, these are invitations to quietude before God to appreciate Him and His majesty.
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Many people love hearing their own voices forgetting we have one mouth but two ears which presupposes more listening than speaking. God’s call to meditation is one to sit still before Him and let Him be God and speak as only God can.
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This isn’t a call to prayer. It’s an invitation to enjoy God’s presence and reflection on His Word. Meditation is time to be in God’s presence and savor it. It is time to shut out distractions like tape recorders, radios, walkmans, MP3 players, IPods, Zunes, etc., and enjoy sweet fellowship and communion with God. This is time to be alone with God and to listen God speak.
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Meditation is God’s invitation to change focus from the mundane to the divine. It’s time to empty oneself of the cares of the world and fill the void with God and His Word. Accept the gift of meditation. It frees the mind; cleanses the soul; lowers the blood pressure; calms the nerves and invigorates the soul.
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This gift is contributed by:
Bertram L. Melbourne, Ph.D.
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He is a professor of Biblical Language and Literature at the Howard University School of Divinity. He served as interim dean of the School from 2004-2007, and he previously served six years as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He conducts workshops nationally and internationally on various issues, including Biblical Studies, 2000 Years of Christianity in Africa, AIDS, Clergy Self-Care, and Integration of Faith and Learning.
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Get a full dose of Dr. Melbourne’s wisdom from his insightful book:
