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What is Christian Meditation?
Reclaiming the biblical practice of meditation for Christians. Discover how meditating on God's Word can deepen your faith and transform your spiritual life.
“Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the workings and ways and purposes and promises of God.”
— J.I. Packer
Let's face it: Christian meditation gets a bad rap. The word “meditation” has been commandeered by other religions or used in a New Age context. Below is a breakdown to reclaim what Christian meditation is truly about.
What is Christian meditation?
Christian meditation is a form of prayer in which a person reflects on God's revelation in their life. The Bible commands us to “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.” (Joshua 1:8 KJV). Christian meditation is not about striving for “mindlessness” or “detachment of thoughts”, but to pay attention to how God's love is an integral part of our everyday lives.
History of Christian meditation
In the Old Testament, there are two Hebrew words for meditation: hāgâ (Hebrew: הגה), which means to sigh, murmur, or meditate and sîḥâ (Hebrew: שיחה), which means to muse, or rehearse in one's mind. The Bible mentions meditate or meditation 23 times, 19 times in the Book of Psalms alone. The form of Christian meditation that has been used by believers since the 4th century A.D. is called Lectio divina, which means sacred reading. It has four stages:
Lectio
Read
reading a passage deliberately.
Meditatio
Meditate
pondering the text.
Oratio
Pray
asking God to reveal the truth.
Contemplatio
Rest
resting in God’s presence.
How to practice Christian meditation
The first thing to remember is that Christian meditation is grounded in the Bible. God speaks in words of revelation, and will reveal Himself in His word. Secondly, the focus of meditation is on the love of God, and how He is guiding you in your life (even if you feel lost!). Lastly, worship and praise God! You should always make Christian meditation an exercise in praise. Focus on “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8 KJV).
Christian meditation is grounded in the Bible. God speaks in words of revelation, and will reveal Himself in His word.
The focus of meditation is on the love of God, and how He is guiding you in your life (even if you feel lost!).
Worship and praise God! You should always make Christian meditation an exercise in praise.
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is challenging, especially in our age of distraction. Many of us bear the burden of “future-tripping”, which is a mental habit of speculating about the future.
In James 4:13 (KJV), it says “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Live in the present means trusting in God's future. You cannot appreciate the present if you are worried all the time. Hope in the confident anticipation of good, and learn to resemble Christ's character.
Experience Christian Meditation
Try guided breathing prayer and Lectio Divina on our website, or download Testimonio for the full experience with AI-crafted meditations, journaling, and devotional paths.