The Meditations of My Heart

The intention of this book is to help you develop your own meditations. When we hear the word 'meditation' there may be a variety of thoughts that come to mind. Various forms of meditation are practiced throughout the world. In order to understand how the term is used in the creation of these writings we should first take a journey into Biblical meditation. The oldest languages in the world have their origin in the Middle East, and ancient Hebrew is one of those languages. Within the Hebrew culture we find the word "Hagah" which translated into English means to meditate. The word meditate first appears in Joshua 1:8 where it says to meditate day and night on God's Word. Perhaps the most well known passage where we find "Hagah" is in Psalm 1:2 where again it encourages us to meditate on God's Word day and night. The idea in both verses is that of chewing. Just as chewing our food many times before swallowing will aid in efficient digestion so the continual examination of God's Word will bring wisdom and understanding. The New Testament Greek word "meletao" translated [meditate] renders, "to care for, to attend to, to practice, to be diligent, to ponder, to imagine." Therefore, we see a connection between Old and New Testament mediation. When we put the two together we can conclude that Biblical meditation begins in quiet thought on God's Word but leads to sound and action. the Psalmist wrote, "May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing [acceptable] in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14). The Apostle Paul instructed a young minister to devote himself completely to meditating on God's Word. With this in mind -- I have made it a practice to mediate on God's Word by reading a passage over and over while examining each word and it's content and by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit to impart wisdom and understanding. My prayer is that you will mediate on these devotional and take notes on what God reveals and speaks to you personally. Then put your mediation into action by stepping out in faith equipped with God's wisdom.