Jan and I just returned from leading a church’s pastoral staff retreat, and in one of the sessions, we talked first about how our brains benefit from a regular practice of focused meditation, then we outlined the four traditional parts of discursive meditation. I likened it to eating, for after all, the angel in Revelation 10 tells the Apostle John to “eat the book” the angel had been reading from –the Bible.
In Eugene Peterson’s book titled, Eat This Book, he uses this example. Think of it like this. You go to a restaurant and are given a menu. You spend some time reading over what’s on the menu to see what strikes you–something you might want to eat.
We approach meditation in a similar way. The first step is to read the passage. You take a short passage and read it over carefully and slowly 3 or 4 times, or until something in that passage jumps out and catches your attention.
The second step is what happens when your choice of food is served. You take a bite and chew it. And as you do, you reflect on the flavors, the spices, and the nuances of what you are eating. In meditation, you “chew” on the word or phrase that has caught your attention. Why did it strike you? What does God want to say to you? What is it challenging in you life? You ponder questions like this as you “chew” on the word or phrase letting it speak to your heart.
The third step in eating is to swallow the food. In meditation, swallowing is praying into your life what you have focused on in this particular passage. You simply talk with God about what you have just experienced.
Then, fourth, you digest what you have swallowed. This part is done for us automatically after we eat. But in meditation, in your digesting the passage, there is still something you can do. Mary thought often about what the shepherds had said to her. She probably never forgot their words. So in meditating, You think often about what you have experienced in your meditation.
At the retreat, we explained this process and then each person was given a copy of a biblical text–Romans 7:1-13. They were then sent off to spend 20 minutes meditating on all or parts of that passage, using the four part analogy of a meal. When the group regathered, it was interesting to hear what a number of them experienced as they focused on that passage. It was as if that passage came alive and spoke directly and individually to each person’s heart. For some, it was verse 4; for others it was verse 13; for others it was a single phrase or word.
It was a vivid illustration of what we read in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and powerful, it is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sward, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Jan and I do this as a couple. At least 4 times a week, we spend time individually with the same passage from the Bible. We ponder, we meditate, and we journal our impressions. Then, when we are finished, we meet together and share what we discovered in our meditation on that particular passage. Try it! Try it alone or with a partner.
When you try it, be sure to leave us a comment on your experience.