“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:8 (NIV)
I can remember hearing great sermons and in-depth Bible teaching and wondering how the teacher found all those great nuggets of truth in God’s Word. That’s why I wrote my first book more than 40 years ago: to help people like me. Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods shares 12 methods of Bible study, such as the chapter summary method, the topical method, and the verse-by-verse method.
One of my favorites is the devotional Bible study method. If you were to summarize the devotional method in one word, it would probably be “meditate.” For many, the word “meditate” is a bad word. They associate it with Eastern or New Age religions. When some Christians think of meditation, they picture people folding their bodies into pretzel shapes and contemplating the lint on their navel.
That may be Eastern or Buddhist meditation, but it’s not Christian meditation. The Bible uses the word “meditate” 29 times in the New International Version to describe a believer’s devotional life. God wants you to meditate.
He promises that if you meditate on Scripture, he’ll bless you. Joshua 1:8 says, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (NIV).
So how do you do it? If you look up a synonym for “meditation,” you’ll probably find the word “rumination.” Unless you happen to be a farmer, you probably don’t know that word. Rumination is what a cow does when she chews her cud. She rolls her cud over and over in her mouth.
Here’s how it works: Cows eat the grass, chew it up, and send it to their stomachs pretty quickly. There it lies in the stomach, soaking up all of those acids and chemicals. Then, after a while, the cow burps it back up with a new and renewed flavor, chews on that grass and some other grass, and then does the whole process over again. Cows repeat this several times. They get every ounce of nutrition out of the grass.
Biblical meditation is kind of like that; it’s thought digestion. God wants you to get every ounce of spiritual nutrition out of his Word. He wants you to chew on it, digest it, and then chew on it some more.
Give it a try today. Don’t just read God’s Word, but take time to chew on it—to meditate.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
Do you have a place, time, or process for how you spend time with God? How can meditation enhance your quiet time with God?
What does it mean to you to be “prosperous” or “successful,” as Joshua 1:8 says? What do you think God equates with success?
What passage of Scripture will you meditate on today?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
God wants you to get every ounce of spiritual nutrition out of his Word—and you can do that through meditation. Learn more about biblical meditation in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
40 Days in the Word – 2023, God’s Word, Bible Study, Spiritual Growth, Truth, Knowing God, Wisdom, Blessing, Joshua 1
Broadcast Series: 40 Days in the Word – 2023
Sermon Series: 40 Days in the Word (2012)
Sermon: 023605_How to Study a Bible Passage
