Christian meditation differs greatly from non-Christian forms of meditation practiced in Eastern religions. Christian meditation is not passively emptying one’s mind, looking inward for guidance, or detaching oneself from the world. Christian meditation is actively filling one’s mind with Scripture to hear from God and subsequently being transformed by God to effectively serve Him in the world. In short, Christian meditation is prolonged, focused, thoughtful, and prayerful deep thinking on the truths of who God is and what God has said and done according to Scripture. Past church leaders have simply called this meditation Scripturanum, or “meditating upon Scripture.”

The concept of meditation is a fairly common theme in the Hebrew Old Testament. There we find two words used for the discipline and they appear some fifty-eight times, including in the lives of such leaders as Isaac (Genesis 24:63) and Joshua (Joshua 1:8). In some ways the entire book of Psalms is a book of meditation and includes many references to the discipline:

Meditation in Psalms

Psalm 1:1–4 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 77:11–12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.

Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Psalm 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. Meditation is also commended in the New Testament in such places as Philippians 4:8, which says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Meditation is also demonstrated in the life of Jesus’ mother Mary. After hearing God’s great plan for her, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).