______________________________________
______________________________________
Do you remember the Palmolive commercials with Madge the manicurist? Madge was famous for soaking her customers’ fingernails in Palmolive dishwashing liquid during their chatty visits at the local beauty parlor. The phrases, “You’re soaking in it” and “Palmolive soften hands while you do the dishes,” are a few of the most recognized television commercial quotes of all time.
Instead of soaking in dishwashing soap to soften your hands, wouldn’t it be nice to find a way to soak in God’s Word to soften your heart? Could it be as simple as sitting quietly, not with your manicurist but with the Lord?
After I graduated from college, I got a job and rented a room from one of my favorite college professors. One thing I remember is the picture of her sitting in the same chair every morning with her Bible open. Her time with the Lord was consistent, precious to her, and an incredible example to me of resting in God’s presence. She never seemed hurried or anxious; her life was rooted and grounded in Christ every morning. Her home was a sanctuary of peace and praise.
Today, Satan does some of his best work by keeping Christians busy. Busyness in itself is not a sin, but running around from morning till night, finally flopping on our beds, too pooped to pray must surely displease God. The idea of waiting quietly—even for five minutes—to hear His voice seems strangely foreign in our frenetic world.
Meditation has been wrongly categorized by many as an activity reserved for super Christians or New Age enthusiasts. But Christian meditation is commanded in Scripture for every believer. The psalmist says of the person who is blessed, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Joshua 1:8 says it this way: “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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.” These Scriptures weren’t written for the extra-spiritual Christian; they were written for every Christian. After all, don’t you want to be prosperous and successful?
The word meditation means to muse, ponder, rehearse in one’s mind, or contemplate. So how does one ponder the truth found in God’s Word?
• Read the Bible slowly, not rushing through the verses.
• Put yourself in the Scripture when possible. Be there. Feel the heat of the sun. Hear the crowd shouting.
• Pick one verse (or phrase) that stands out in your mind.
• Think about this verse throughout your day. Write it on an index card and put it somewhere you will see it. Rehearse the verse in your mind while you’re waiting or driving.
• Can you draw a picture that reminds you of the verse?
• Tell someone about the verse you’re meditating on. Ask for that person’s insights.
• Have you ever experienced something that illustrates the verse?
• Pray about the verse.
• Think about the verse before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning.
I like how Rick Warren describes meditation: “Meditation is focused thinking. It takes serious effort. You select a verse and reflect on it over and over in your mind…if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate…No other habit can do more to transform your life and make you more like Jesus than daily reflection on Scripture.”3
As you allow your heart and mind to soak in God’s Word, you’ll see a noticeable difference in your life. You’ll begin to act more like Christ. This focus on obedience is what most clearly distinguishes Christian meditation from its Eastern and secular counterparts. Richard Foster writes that “Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word. It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic consciousness.”4
Notice these important differences between Christian meditation and Eastern or secular meditation:
Christian Meditation |
Eastern Meditation |
Seeks to be filled with God’s Spirit |
Seeks to empty one’s self |
Focuses on God |
Focuses on self |
Rehearses Scriptures |
Rehearses mantras |
Results in changed behavior |
Results in higher self-consciousness |
Women in midlife often struggle with relationships. You find out your college-age son is sexually active. Your aging parents need your care. Your husband is going through his own midlife crisis. And the women’s committee at church is asking you to head up a major ministry. When life gets tough, the tough often head to the refrigerator. What if instead of turning to physical food for comfort, you turned to the spiritual food found in the Bible?
Try chewing on these verses instead of diving into your favorite comfort food:
When your children are rebelling:
Teach [my child], O LORD, to follow your decrees;
then [he/she] will keep them to the end.
Give [my child] understanding to keep your law
and obey it with all [his/her] heart.
Direct [my child] in the path of your commands,
for there [he/she will] find delight.
Turn [my child] toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
(Psalm 119:33-36)
When your husband is unresponsive:
Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives (1 Peter 3:1-2).
When your parents are aging:
If a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God (1 Timothy 5:4).
When your work is monotonous:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:23-24).
When your heart is heavy:
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).
Try this simple exercise called “palms down, palms up” from The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Begin with your palms down, symbolizing your desire to turn over your concerns to God. You may pray something like, “Lord, I give you my anxiety about my finances.” Release that burden to the Lord and wait in surrender to Him. Then turn your palms up slowly as a symbol of your desire to receive from the Lord. You might pray, “Lord, I would like to receive your divine blessings on my finances. Please provide enough for everything we need this month.” Spend the remaining moments in silence, allowing the Lord to comfort you and commune with you.5
Soaking in Palmolive may help you get softer skin, but doing exercises such as “palms down, palms up” will help soften your heart to hear God speaking to you. Meditating on God’s Word will strengthen your soul, life, and relationships—and you don’t have to go to a beauty salon to get started.
BEAUTY TIP
Let your moisturizer soak in. Give your facial lotion time to completely absorb, about three minutes, before applying makeup. This will help foundation, blush, and shadow last all day.
Thought for Rejuvenation
Do you meditate on God’s Word? What are some ways you can soak regularly in the Scriptures?
Act of eXpression
Take one of the verses from today’s reading and meditate on it. Use one or more of the ideas found earlier in this chapter under Meditation 101.