When we meditate on scriptures we are engaging with Jesus Christ at a very profound level

Meditation is a powerful tool provided by the Holy Spirit to explore the things of God in depth, and to enable us to bring the Word of God to life in our experience. The Word of God is Spirit - it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, when we meditate in faith, we are inviting the Spirit right into our brains and bodies, where the Spirit progressively brings them into line with God’s grace-filled pattern.

In meditation, we are engaging with God on a quantum level - in God’s unseen, but extremely powerful, realm of existence. At that level, our heart-intention and chosen focus are key agents of change. Modern science shows us that, at the quantum level, the act of observation - or focus - affects the shape and behaviour of subatomic particles. Words are even more powerful than simple focus. For example, we know that words spoken over water molecules with love cause the molecular structure to form beautiful, harmonious patterns. By contrast, harsh words show disarray and ‘disease’ within those same structures. This is at the empirical, scientific level - without any particular reference to God. So how much more powerful are our intentions and words when we choose to think and speak in the name of Yeshua, the creator and sustainer of absolutely everything! He backs us up! The power and potential we carry as His portals of love on earth are nothing less than astounding!

Some practical steps

Depending upon your situation, you may choose to seek out and meditate upon scriptures that relate to the love of God, His forgiveness, His righteousness, His omnipotence, His salvation, faith, and so on. The Holy Spirit will lead you if you seek His guidance. In particular, I would encourage you to set aside time to study and meditate upon scriptures that speak of who you are in Christ. Those are the scriptures that will enable you to step into your new spiritual identity, and to start to experience the power of God as it flows in you and through you.

When Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you” (John 15:7), He was pointing us toward meditation. The word “meditation” simply means focusing and pondering on something, to let it saturate your mind. Unlike New Age meditation, which usually advocates emptying the mind, Christian meditation calls us to do the opposite - to fill our minds with God and His truth. Jesus asks us to let Him and His word remain alive and active in our minds and hearts. The Old Testament men and women of God were well acquainted with the power of meditating on the Word of God—and this despite the fact that they did not have the permanently indwelling Spirit to empower their meditations, as we do now. One example is when the Lord declared the vital importance of meditation to Joshua, when he was appointed to lead the children of Israel after Moses’ death.

The Lord said: “This Book of the Law [that is, the Word of God] shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night... and then you will have good success” (Josh. 1:8). The “good success” that is the result of abiding in the Word includes the process of “the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2). For that is the aim of meditation: that our former, worldly ways of thinking be replaced, progressively, by the thoughts and attitudes of Christ. As our minds are renewed in this way, we come increasingly into alignment with God’s will for our minds and our lives, and in accord with the command, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, NRSV).

The more we are in line with the thoughts and desires of Christ, the more freedom the Holy Spirit has to pour out the “tremendous power” of Ephesians 1:19 through our prayers and words - when there is no resistance from our little “self.” A rather crude but vivid analogy is to see ourselves as pipes designed to channel water from a faucet. A pipe can easily become encrusted with limescale. In that condition, water can still trickle through to a limited degree, but the flow is weak and intermittent. However, if the limescale (our wrong thinking) is dissolved through regular, faith-inspired meditation upon the Word of God, water (the Holy Spirit) can flow through unimpeded - and in power. In this way, we come into right alignment with Christ and we walk, more and more, in His righteousness. Then we can begin to prove that “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV). We can never be righteous in our own strength, but faith-filled meditation enables us to “enter into” the righteousness of Jesus, and to walk in all that He has gained for us. The importance of meditation, of keeping our minds stayed on Christ and His Word, receives considerable emphasis in the New Testament. Paul urges believers to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col. 3:16) - to fix your eyes on Jesus, to fix your minds on things above. He also says to Timothy, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them” (1 Tim. 4:15) (“these things” being the things of God, including His Word).

Some key verses are 2 Corinthians 5:14–21; Galatians 2:20 and 6:14; Ephesians 2:5–6; and Colossians 3:3. Do not look for particular “experiences,” or place too much importance on feelings, which can be misleading. The key is to persist in faith and to place a priority on knowing who you are in Christ. If you don’t know who you are, nor actively believe who you are, you will not be able to release what you have.

The process of dropping one’s own identity and “putting on” Christ’s identity requires daily practice; it cannot be attained overnight. The “default” program in every human being is “me” and “mine.” It takes ongoing discipline to step down from the saddle and hand the reins over to Jesus, hour by hour, day by day. This is why even someone with the spiritual stature and experience of the apostle Paul declared, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31). How much more, therefore, do we need to “die daily” to self and to reckon ourselves dead - yet alive in our new being in Christ? It is indeed a lifelong process. However, we are much encouraged along the way as we see the fruits of meditating and praying in this way in our own lives and the lives of those for whom we pray.

Meditation does not necessarily require us to sit in the silence with our eyes closed. That is a good position, but sometimes our minds can wander or we nod off. The important thing is not to give up or feel disheartened - simply gently bring your mind back to the verse(s) or truths you are focusing upon. Pondering over the verses out loud is helpful, and I personally find that walking in a quiet environment while meditating and praying out loud is one of the best ways to keep the mind focused and to enable the Holy Spirit to flow more freely.

Try to recall your scriptures at regular intervals while you are at work, going about your daily tasks, and so on. During any initiative to deepen your prayer life - and in particular, any move to align yourself with your identity in Christ - the human mind is likely to rebel and to want to throw in the towel on many occasions. That is absolutely normal. However, if that does happen, please resist the temptation to give up, and do not be fooled by the enemy into thinking that you are a failure and that you can never progress. A less obvious form of pride is an ongoing feeling of inadequacy and failure. But that is still pride, because the underlying concept is that believers can muster up some goodness in their own strength, rather than relying totally upon Christ!

At the start, a verse you take into meditation may feel like a dry mental concept, and it will seem foolish to the human mind. However, with persistence, it begins to drip drip throughout your being - in the same way that a small drop of ink spreads through a glass of water, gently infusing it with color - and eventually you find that the Holy Spirit begins to quicken to you the deeper meaning of the verse. Then comes your exclamation: “Oh, I see!” The eureka moment. I was once blind but now I see. As when a flash of lightning illuminates the whole landscape, where once all you could see were steep, dark, and impenetrable mountains, now verdant valleys, beautiful mountain passes, and meandering rivers suddenly come into view. In other words, meditation opens up for you a reality that you never knew existed.

However, the “seeing” has to be a spiritual seeing, for the things of God are foolishness to the natural mind. Never be discouraged. God wants us to grasp His life and His truth infinitely more than we want to - so press in and rely on His Holy Spirit to help you and to guide you into all truth. Again, it is strengthening to remember that Jesus Christ Himself is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13). Therefore, when we meditate on scriptures we are engaging with Jesus Christ at a very profound level.