A Meditating Habit

The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? _{Psalm 27:1}

Life is a busy place and sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to fit everything in. The ‘to-do’ list never gets shorter and we are usually juggling more thoughts than we can handle, which can potentially lead to anxiety and stress. Unfortunately, as days get busier, we are more likely to reduce the time we give to God. We squeeze him out, or rather, squeeze him in to the minute we have spare.

Allocating time to meditate on God’s word, protects the mind from becoming overwhelmed by everything that is going on around us. Think about these words – The LORD is the stronghold of my life. Now, close your eyes for just a moment and consider what that means.

That was a very short and simple experience of meditation. I know it was only for just a moment, but what did those words mean to you? For me, it was a reminder that God is my protection, a shield around my life.  As we consider God’s word and think on his promises, we guard our mind from being overwhelmed by unnecessary stress and worry. This is because, as we lift our focus off ourselves and turn it towards the Lord, we allow ourselves the vantage point of His perspective to influence our circumstances.

Following the Lord’s advice to Joshua, we are to meditate on God’s word ‘day and night, [and] be careful to do all that is written in it, for then you will have good success’ (Josh 1:8).

Meditation is a protective habit and one that we all need to practice. If it is something that you are not used to doing then start with 5 minutes and 1 verse. Build from there and let your prayer be, ‘May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD’ _{Psalm 104:34}