Why We Meditate

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

In our church, we reward the children for memorizing Scripture. They are delighted when they receive little Bibles, pencils, or a cross that glows in the dark. But for us men, memorizing Scripture is its own reward.

Familiarity and need are the two key ways I memorize. By familiarity I mean reading the verse, posting it, saying it, and using it in conversation. When I do that, the verse is always handy. But to be honest, need has always been my greatest motivator when it comes to memorizing Scripture.

Early in my own “wellness” journey, meditating on Proverbs 3:5-6 kept me going forward. At that time, I couldn’t trust my own feelings or my own ability to make wise choices. My flesh—the selfish side of me—wanted to try to deal with my insecurities by giving in to old patterns and old habits. But I found that meditating on God’s Word produced in me a new way of thinking and making decisions. Through aggressively trusting in his understanding rather than my own, I gained the ability to fight against my flesh and courageously learn new skills and develop new habits.

Sure, it felt uncomfortable at first, but I kept reminding myself of the payoff: “He will direct your paths.” This “path” of meditating on God’s truth includes much more joy, hope, fulfillment, and blessing than I had before.

Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators ministry, wisely said, “After twenty-four hours, you may accurately remember 5 percent of what your hear, 15 percent of what you read, 35 percent of what you study, 57 percent of what you see and hear, but 100 percent of what you memorize.”

So memorize God’s Word. Meditate on it. Marinate in it. Pick a verse and stew on it for a while today.

As I meditate on your Word, Lord, change the way I think and live.