Eastern Meditation vs. Biblical Meditation

Eastern Meditation vs. Biblical Meditation

Often the Holy Spirit inspires me to meditate on a particular verse or verses for a few days or longer.

Some believers get creeped out by the term meditation and think you have replaced Jesus with a guru.  The truth is God’s Word instructs us to meditate on His Word.

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall read (and meditate on) it day and night, so that you may be careful to do (everything) in accordance with all that is written in it;  for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.  (Joshua 1:8) AMP.

The difference between eastern meditation and biblical meditation is where we focus our attention.  Eastern meditation advocates that you empty your mind.  One way it does this is by getting you to repeat a word or mantra over and over again.    Biblical meditation is the complete opposite.  God doesn’t want us to empty our minds but fill them with His words.  When we fill our thoughts with God’s Word, those words will enter our hearts, shape our thinking and emotions and give us vision and direction for our lives.  Eastern meditation opens you up to influences you don’t want in your life.  This is why Paul describes God’s Word as the believer’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-17).  It guardes our thoughts–the helmet.  It protects our hearts–the shield, and it gives us a solid foundation to take a stand on –the shoes.  We are surrounded by truth wrapped in truth.  The sword drives back our enemies from messing with us.

There are so many amazing benefits to meditation on God’s Word.  If you haven’t made it a spiritual discipline in your life, what a way to start off the New Year!