Meditation is a lost spiritual discipline amongst Christians today. Our approach to Scripture is left-brain memorization instead of right-brain meditation. And it affects our spiritual health. We have a deficiency in our spiritual diet because reading without meditating is like eating without digesting. We simply regurgitate the wordingesting it. Consequently, we become malnourished. Overtime, our souls dry up; opening the Word becomes mundane and routine.
Meditation is a form of imagination.
In 1816, Sir David Brewster invented the first kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope consists of fragments of coloured glassreflect light in an endless variety of colours and patterns. Isn't that what Scripture does? It reflects lightkaleidoscopic. I never cease to be amazed at the way different verses can inspire me in different ways at different times in my life.
Meditation is taking the time to turn the kaleidscope so we can appreciate different nuances of a text. I gaurantee this: the more time you take to look at a verse from a variety of angles the more God will reveal to you. It will help you internalize and personalize the truth. It will get the word into your spirit. Don't be in such a hurry to get through the word that the word doesn't get through you.
The phrase "look intently" in James 1 means to bend overstoop down. We've got to humble ourselves and take a posture of submission when we read the word. Meditation is bending over to take a closer look.
