How do you meditate and what affect does it have on you?

October 12, 2023

Maria Fear of the Lord, Meditation, Psalm 112, Psalm 119, Uncategorized , , 1 Comment

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. Psalm 119:15 ESV

The other day a fragment of scripture came to me, ‘he is not afraid of bad news’. That’s the kind of gal I want to become, for sure! I don’t want the dread of something that might happen gloom up my day.  Curious, I searched and found that description in Psalm 112.

When I read the entire psalm I thought, ‘there’s so much other goodness packed into this small testimony of a godly person! I don’t want to gloss over rich promises, isolating just one part.’ So, I decided to meditate on the Psalm. Slowly. A bit each day.

Here is how that practice has helped me so far, on Day 4.

With the help of my Blue Letter Bible app which opens up all the possible Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic meanings and other verses containing the term. I rewrote verse 1, for me.

First, here is an authorized translation:

Praise the LORD! Blessed is a person who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. Psalm 112:1 NASB

When and why do I rewrite a verse? If the particular wording doesn’t connect with me, I go to the original language and attempt to find a different translation for each term, one that connects with my heart.  Seeing a word or phrase used in other contexts amplifies the possibilities and gives me a way into God’s truth.  You probably do this yourself, maybe out loud, when you pray, spring boarding off of a scripture.  I find my vision is illuminated through writing.

Here’s what I wrote on Day 1:

God, you’re amazing! How happy is the one who lives in awe of you, fascinated and drawn in every way to your BIGness, your MUCHness.  Because he magnifies you and remains mindful of who you are compared to him, he loves to read, study and think about all your words.  

Translating it into Maria’s version meant that it stayed front and center throughout the day.  There was an immediate application later that evening when I did something without thinking and hurt Mike. I had assumed he felt a certain way about a matter, because of an early event.  So, when the matter came up again, I led with my assumption.  In hindsight, I realized I should have asked him first.  Sure enough, I found out afterwards when he expressed hurt that my assumption had been incorrect.

You might say, ‘Well, that happens to all of us, don’t make such a big deal about it. You learned something useful.’ True enough, but I have gotten really good at replaying a script and beating myself up for it, creating Shame Stew.

Thanks be to the Holy Spirit, who brought to mind my version of Psalm 112:1! I quickly saw that I was meditating on the wrong matter!  Shifting my thoughts back to God brought relief. I talked to myself, saying ‘Let me magnify the Lord who is SO much bigger than any created thing or event’.  You know as well as I that no peace is to be found in ‘delighting’ in practicing worry or self-shaming.

So, that was that day.  What happened in the following days?  Each morning, I have rewritten the initial verse and then added the succeeding one.  Today I rewrote verse 4 for me.  Afterwards, I saw something even bigger than what was in the day’s words.

I realized how all the other verses hinge on this initial one, right there in the beginning. It’s a principle, a key to contentment and joy in the midst of a world that reels from one evil to the next. When focus on God and drink from his character and his wonders, both past, present and promised, we feel better. A kind of settled calm settles on us.  That NEVER happens when I rehearse possible solutions to a problem or fantasize in how bad something could get.  

Writing and rewriting have the effect of slowing me down. But you might not have that kind of time, depending on the stage of life God has you, or your present circumstances.  But you DO have enough time to take one verse each day and chew on it, roll it around in your mind, discuss it with a family member, a roommate or a friend.  You could text it to someone else and ask, ‘How does this intersect your life, right where you are this morning with all that is going on in your day?’

I remind myself, ‘Maria, you DO have the power, through the Holy Spirit to change our thoughts.’ It just takes some initial effort. We’re lazy and we have an enemy who rather distract us with something ‘pressing’. Anything to keep us from pondering eternal truths.

Personalize scripture by rewriting it for yourself

September 2, 2023

Maria Meditation, Psalm 32 , Leave a comment

For me to meditate on scripture, I have to write it out in words I can understand. But lest you think I just make up words, I don’t.  I use the website, Blue Letter Bible.  There, I can see the Hebrew and the Greek (or Aramaic) words with their multiple shades of meaning.  Furthermore, I can check out where a term is used elsewhere in Scripture.  This app/website is rich in resources and I consult it daily.

To give you an example, here is how I personalized the following 4 verses from Psalm 32 this morning.  First, the original NIV translation:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble

and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Psalm 32: 7-10 NIV

After reading the verses, I spent some time investigating the different ways certain terms have been used, and where they pop up in other verses.  Next, I addressed myself, writing advice to Maria based on what I found in this segment of the psalm, but not in the order each verse appeared.

Verse 9:  Maria, don’t be like an unruly mule who must be controlled by the rider.

Verse 8: Choose, instead, to stay aware of and close by to Jesus, as near as possible so you can hear his instructions and catch his eyes that go along with his words.

Verse 10:  Why? For your protection and security and sense of well-being. For it is FACT that steadfast love surrounds those who position themselves close to the Lord. Not only does he want you that near, he actually walks about you.  All those who trust him, he guards with that attentiveness, giving them direction. You, Maria, little sheep that you are, this includes you, for you have learned to position yourself near your Teacher.

Then from verse 9, I responded to all this good news by writing TO the Lord:

Thank you, that you walk about me. I know full well that you are my refuge in times of trouble. And as you encircle me you shout and cry out words of deliverance. I can hear your voice in my mind’s ear.

How long does this take?  Not long at all.  I probably spent a good 10 minutes this morning pulling out some riches from these verses.  My particular way of digesting them is to write what I see.  You’ll also notice that there were some verse segments I didn’t even address.  This morning, what I most needed was assurance and comfort of the Lord’s nearness.

For me, this is both fun to do and deeply satisfying. But don’t worry if you are not a writer or a journal scribbler. I can also imagine someone simply doing this out loud. No need to pick up pen and paper.  I just find it easier to process through the writing process. Whatever causes us to slow down to savor the promises, will enrich us.

Tools to fight Covid weariness

February 7, 2021

Maria Bible Reading, Dreams, Dryness, Faith, Genesis 29, Gratitude, Habits, Hearing God, Romans 1 , , , , , , Leave a comment

Covid IS wearying.  Now more than ever I come thirsty to my Bible.  Each morning I pray before I read, acknowledging my hunger and the fact that both God and His Word are alive and full of power.  I want to SEE Jesus.  I want to BE corrected.  I want to BE filled.  I want to BE awed.

This week I chose two of my daily mediations that have to do with gratitude and life that energizes. Both helped me combat the fatigue of this ongoing pandemic.

Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the LORD!” Genesis 29:35 NLT

The summer I turned 20, while employed in a little hotel-restaurant in Switzerland, I envisioned my future. Joyfully speaking French all day long, I dreamed of marrying a Swiss, working locally and raising our children to be tri-lingual.

God in His goodness directed me differently, all the while nurturing the desires He originated. I married Mike, lived only 4 more years overseas, but started teaching French and German in Virginia after son # 2 arrived.

Because God kept me on His path, I became a Christian. But like Leah, I revisit my dream from time to time. Not the Swiss husband, but the living overseas.

But in His mercy, the Father has shown me how He has been satisfying my desires.  I DO live immersed in languages, although stateside.

May I keep on seeing and praising the One who knows how best to satisfy His children!

****

The righteous will live by faith. Romans 1:17 NIV

This morning, I lingered and indulged one of my passions.  The phone app Blue Letter Bible provides many Greek and Hebrew meanings and nuances for our English translations.  Boy, was I enriched and strengthened! Here’s what I found.

The ‘righteous’ are those who “are approved or accepted by God”. If you are a believer, you know that Jesus’ life-work and sin payment on the cross imputed to us is the only way a holy God can welcome us.

‘Live’ encompasses much more than biological forces.  “Enjoys real life and vigor, feels fresh and is active.”

Finally, let’s look at the key word – faith. ‘Pistis’ includes depending on the “faithful character of God”.

Do you recall John Bunyan locked up in Doubting Castle? Only when he found the Key of Promise and believed the promises in the Bible, could he insert the key and walk out.  That is a beautiful example of exercising the privilege of being accepted by the Father and relying on all His promises.

You never gave me a young goat!

January 16, 2020

Maria 1 Timothy 6, Contentment, Envy, Evil, Gratitude, Holiness, Luke 15, Obedience, Shame, Sin, Uncategorized , , , , , 1 Comment

About that goat reference in this post’s title, can you identify whose complaint that was?  If you guessed ‘the Older Brother’, you know your Bible!  Luke records that complaint from Jesus’ parable in Luke 15:29, to be exact.

Mike has been reading G.K.Chesterton’s book Orthodoxy out loud to us in the evenings.  Chesterton takes some time getting used to; I have to concentrate more and think through his prose, almost sentence by sentence.  In our current chapter the author is addressing fairy tales and what they teach us about reality.  Chesterton points out that main characters tend to complain about limitations imposed on them when they should be in awe, marveling over what they actually have been granted.

For example, when Cinderella challenges her fairy godmother about why she has to leave the party before the clock strikes midnight, she should really be captivated by the sheer improbability of EVEN going to the ball!  Where’s her question about that turn of events?  Did she ever imagine she would dance with the Prince, let alone be magically attired in elegance with a chic hairdo to boot? So improbable was that scenario, especially since she had been forced to sew for her step-sisters after cleaning house all day.

How like us humans, to complain.  If we are alive, it is SHEER gift. If we are believers, then we have hit the jackpot of God’s purposeful favor.  The guarantee of everlasting life WITH God is the only true ‘happily ever after’ fairy-tale ending we all long for. Yet, we seem to have eyes for what we lack, what we haven’t been given.

I know this well.  Though I rarely complain out loud, were my inner chatter publicized, I would feel great shame. The time I spend envying, longing, wishing silently…that’s PURE complaining. Whom do I envy?  Those who SEEM to be doing and enjoying what I think would satisfy me.  Like traveling, living overseas.  (I’m a linguaphile.)

Is there hope for envy-addicts? Yes!  And I am experiencing it.  It’s called God’s School of Contentment. I’ve been a student in this training academy for decades, now.

The point is that this addiction has deep roots, so it FEELS like I haven’t made much progress.  My Father gently AND frequently hands me a new lesson. Like this week.

Today in the notes of my Spanish study Bible (one of my tools for acquiring Spanish!) the writers noted that ‘obeying the Lord tends to mean leaving off one thing in order to receive something better.‘  The passage in question was Abram’s leaving Ur, his extended family, the land and even the familiar pagan gods to go where THE one and only God was guiding him, to receive new land and descendants.

How did the Lord use that explanation in my holiness training? Immediately I saw that I am to LEAVE OFF the sinful, evil pleasure of envy, in order to bolster contentment with my lot, the circumstances which He has granted me.  (A corollary evil pleasure of mine is worrying, but that’s another post!)

Those Bible notes were anchored a few minutes later by a verse that ‘popped up’ in my Prayermate app – 1 Tim 6:6 Godliness with Contentment is GREAT gain.

And just how does God define the concept of contentment?  The Greek word is ‘autarkaa’ meaning ‘sufficiency’. Blue Letter Bible describes it like this: ‘A mind that looks at one’s lot and says: IT IS ENOUGH, what You’ve given me IS SUFFICIENT.’

Following that description I read one final thought that deepened my desire to practice this trait:

  • without this contentment I will do today’s deeds NOT as an expression of Christ’s all-sufficiency but in order to make up for some deficiency I feel.

So, same message from a couple of different sources.  To top it off, Regina, my spiritual reading buddy, sent me a Luther quote earlier this week. Scrolling through her texts I found it again: “To obey is better than……. miracles.”

Isn’t our Father good!  He doesn’t give up. He keeps after us to make us ultimately happier through holiness.  The obedience in view here, this day, is thanking God for my boundaries, my lot. Being satisfied, being content with what He deems best for me is part of that holiness training.