Written Meditation on Scripture 1 How shall I call upon the Lord ? The first step in entering upon meditation is to reflect upon how the Lord appears to you in the passage to be contemplated.
By what name or immage do you wish to address Him ? |
Men began to call on the name of the Lord. GENESIS 4:6 NKJV
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. PSALM 20 : 7 NIV Bless the Lord , O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name. PSALM 103:1 |
Is He Teacher,Healer, Life, Light, Suffering Servant, Beloved, Friend, etc.?
Addressing the Lord by a personally chosen name begins to focus your thoughts and feelings and establish a sense of Presence. 2 State the heart of the matter. Write a brief, general statement of what is happening or being expressed in the passage. Try to capture the overall tone or |
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is , the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. HEBREWS 13:15 ESV |
quality and the essential point of the passage.
3 Describe the context , background, and inner feelings involved in the situation in greater detail. Allow your imagination to freely create environment and historical background to the scene. This allows for subjective feelings, memories, and associations to consciously or unconsciously become part of the meditation. |
The Name Hashem" My Name shall be there" 1 KINGS 8: 16&29
The "Name" of YAHWEH dwells in the temple in which Yahweh himself cannot be confined. |
4 Ask for what you want......What I want to understand more deeply is.......
What I desire to be freed of is..........Lord, help me to understand my own blindness,paralysis, pharasaical hypocrisy, etc and heal me of it ," 5 Looking and Listening. Focus upon different aspects of the passage such as physical details, persons, words, the event of healing, forgiveness,death etc.......,. |
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believers ear
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds and drives away his fear. It makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the troubled breast; tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary rest. John Newton 1725- 1807 |
and let thoughts, images, feelings, and other associations present themselves.
Keep returning to the word,image , or event. As you concentrate on these, what presents itself to your mind ? Record what comes to you in writing. Sometimes the connections are obvious and direct. At other times they are more obscure. Record them all without judgement. Be aware of symbolic connections. |
Holy NameSing to the Lord, you saints of his, praise his holy name. PSALM 30:4 NIV
Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name MATTHEW 6:9 ESV |
For example , is there a storm in my life ? Am I like the leper, or Lazarus, or the blind man in some way ? The point is not to analyze, but to make associations and connections as they arise.
6 Dialogue. Feel or imagine the Lord's presence and then begin to talk with one another in a totally open way. Say what is on your mind, and then allow the Lord |
for he who is mighty has done great things
for me and holy is his name Luke 1:49 As it is written, I will praise you among the gentiles and sing to your name. ROMANS 15:9 ESV |
to speak to you. Record the dialogue as it comes to you.
7 Remembering and evaluating. Review in your mind the sequence of feelings and experiences involved in the meditation. Record these Then re-read the whole meditation and note the emotions that arise as you read and also how you feel about the experience as a whole. |
Only Name.....there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved ACTS 4:12 |
Meditative ReadingOne can receive revelation-- divine revelation through spiritual reading.
There is both historical precedent and contemporary witnes to this truth' So when enguaging in scriptural reading, we should be prepared to respond |
To him (Jesus) all the prophets bear witness
that everyone who believes in him (Jesus) receives forgiveness of sins through his name (Jesus). ACTS 10 : 43 E.S.V. |
authentically and spontaneously in prayer.
To record one,s perception of received revelation by writing it down fulfills a healthy desire to retain the revelation. "Listening" for revelation in meditative reading is an important form of prayer. When anything registers, go over it as often as you feel like and then put it in |
Name above all namesAnd this is his commandment,
that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ... 1 JOHN 3 :23 |
writing to see if you have it. If what you,ve written does not express what you thought , go over it again so that your writing expresses what you have seen.
Then enjoy going over what you have written to really receive what is in it. In meditative reading the mind is focussed on the things of God with the windows of the heart open to the light of Christ. |
God has given Him the name which is above every name.
that at the name of JESUS every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth. PHILIPPIANS 2:9-10 |
Meditation on the Nativity of ChristA time-honoured method of scriptural meditation is to imagine oneself to be present at some event in the life of Christ. For example we may imagine ourselves among the shepherds around the manger in Bethlehem.
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And this is his commandment,
that we should believe in the name of his Son JESUS CHRIST 1 JOHN 3:23 |
Try to capture in imagination the atmosphere in the stable, feel the straw beneath our feet, heat the lowing of the animals, see the tenderness of Maryand Joseph with the new born child.
The purpose of this exercise of the intellect and the imagination, is to move the heart to make an act of devotion to God. |
NazareneAnd Joseph came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets " He shall be called a Nazarene MATTHEW 2:23 |
If this exercise moves us to prayer of love--repentance--gratitude or adoration,
stay with it and follow it through. Let your adoration rise with the adoration of the shepherds, with the adoration of the heavenly host, and with the adoration of the great cloud of witnesses who surround us. |
they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
And he cried out saying "Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me !" " the plain name "He is the source of all life and the giver of all life.
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Meditation on GodSet aside some time each morning for meditation on God.
The best, most appropriate time for this meditation is the morning just after morning prayers, when the soul is not yet burdened other demands. |
He does not depend on anyone or any thing for his existence---
He is the Self existent One, |
Dimitry of Rostov said once "Come, holy meditation, and lead us to immerse ourselves in reflections on the great deeds of God.
There can be reflection on the Goodness of God: on His Justice, Wisdom, Might, Omnipotence, on his Providence, on His Dispensation to save us through the Incarnation, on His Mercy, on His Word............................................................................ |
Jehova is known as " the plain name " amongst the Jewish people, because it teaches plainly and simply the essence of GOD,
Who is the Eternal Presence. from "Names of God " by Mary King an EMMAUS CORRESPONDENCE COURSE |
Whichever of these aspects forms the basis of your reflections, it will inevitably fill the soul with reverent feelings towards God. You will discover that you are
surrounded by God's mercies, bodily and spiritually. Then you will find it necessary to fall before God dissolved in humble feelings of gratitude. This orientates the whole being of a person directly towards God. |