Meditating Using Structured Questions
In this section, I am describing a process of planned meditation on the Bible. This is what many people think of when they hear the term biblical meditation, but I have sought to make clear that this is one way to meditate, but it is not the only way, and the process I describe would not have been possible before the advent of printed books and readily available writing supplies. Before I describe the method I use, I provide some suggestions on setting up your meditation time.
I have found setting a timer to set a boundary for my meditation very valuable. When the timer is set, I can give the time to meet with God through the Bible. I do not have to be concerned that I will lose track of time and miss an appointment, and the bracketed time helps me guard against distractions. We are embodied beings, so physical cues help me enter my time with God. Sitting in the same chair and using the same Bible and notebook can all help put one in a meditative frame of mind. Here are a few other suggestions for how to start your practice.
We live in a future-oriented world of planning and doing, but to meet God, we need to be in the present moment. Two everyday activities that bring us into the present are savoring food and making or attentively listening to music. I begin my morning meditation by savoring a cup of tea. Enjoying the complex flavors of the tea helps me enter the present moment. Many people find that singing a simple worship song brings them out of the future and into the moment.
Take a few minutes to “calm and quiet” yourself. The tried-and-true way to do this is to take a few minutes (consider using a timer) to simply watch one’s breath. Why the breath? This has been a practice that Christians have suggested for at least 1,500 years. It is a way of grounding us in the present moment, and there is a clear analogy from breath to spirit. In Hebrew and Greek, the word for breath is also used for spirit. When we watch our breath, we are subtly reminded of the reality of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
You may want to do a simple grounding activity to help you fully arrive at the meditation time. You could take a moment to light a candle as a reminder that this is time set aside and that God is present. Observe the flame and pray a prayer inviting God to be present. If you find yourself scattered, use your senses to help ground you. Perhaps grab tightly onto your chair and notice the sensations or begin your meditation while walking slowly. Use the first minute to observe your steps, and when your mind wanders during the meditation, direct your attention to walking.
We practice biblical meditation to meet with God and enjoy the pleasure of his company. We also know that we will be changed through meditation, “Such a one is like a tree planted near streams; it bears fruit in season, and its leaves never wither, and every project succeeds” (Ps. 1:3 NJB). One of the results of meditation is that we will produce fruit. We will be a more positive presence in our families, communities, and places of work. Because Christian meditation is done for the benefit of others, I think it is helpful to think of those in your social circle who will benefit when you bear more fruit. You may want to say, “Lord, I dedicate my time to _______ who will benefit from my growing in love and gentleness.”
Here, I share a simple way I have found it helpful to undertake prayerful meditation. I set aside one page in a notebook, date it at the top, and draw a couple of lines on the page to set it up.
I draw a line down the right margin about an inch from the edge, and at the top of this column, I write “to do” this is where I write down those distracting thoughts that come to mind. I learned this practice from a pastor forty years ago, and it has been a simple practice that has enabled me to quiet my mind and given me focus. I realized early on in meditation that if I did not write down the need to pick up milk on the way home or to call a colleague, I would find that remembering the milk and calling Fred would become the subtext of my meditation. I write down those things that come to mind and do not need to focus on them.
Across the bottom of the page, about an inch from the bottom, I draw another line. I write an “L” and circle it to set it apart. The “L” stands for listening; this is where I write down things that may have impressed me as I read and meditated on the passage. I may have been impressed with the need to care for the poor, or perhaps I saw the tenderness of God’s love more deeply. I will jot it down in a few words. These notes are helpful when I go back every month and read through this notebook to see what I am noting and what phrases came to mind in the rest of the journal. It is also important to be open every time you sit for formal meditation with an awareness of God’s presence with you to listen for a sense what God is impressing on you. Without any sense of presumption or demand, we meditate expecting to hear from God and agree to linger until we do.
I then read a short passage out loud a few times and pause to think about its meaning. I write a brief answer to the question: What is the main point of this passage? This is not the time or place to take the time to do a prolonged study of the passage. You may find the notes in a study Bible helpful in understanding the context. This is important because it helps ground your meditation in the text. You are going to meditate on the text, not the big idea of the passage, but taking time to write out your sense of what the passage about helps ground your meditation.
I then write out the passage or the portion I want to focus on. I write it out at the top of the page. Reading out loud and writing out the passage respects the physical nature of meditation in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy, when a new king comes to the throne, he is to write out a copy of the law, and to read it for the rest of his life. This passage suggests the importance of writing out scripture as a way of getting it into one’s heart. “When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees” (Deut. 17:18-19 NIV).
Good meditation often flows from simple questions one asks of the text. I ask five questions that were shaped by a delightful book by Martin Luther. It is a letter he wrote to his barber, answering the barber’s question about how to pray. He begins the letter, “I will tell you as best I can what I do personally when I pray.” (Luther 2000, 17) Luther tells his barber with pastoral tenderness and remarkable candor how he prays and meditates. He tells of “fashioning a garland of four strands” (Luther 2000, 34) as he meditates on scripture. The four strands (see sidebar), influenced by Tim Keller’s summary (Keller 2008, 212), are (TACTS):
Teaching (T): What is the main point of this passage? What does it say about God and what he has done?
Adoration (A): What does this call me to praise God for? Pray this truth back to God.
Confession (C): How do I fail to live this out? Confess your failure back to God.
Gospel thanks & Aspiration (T): How do I see Christ as the best picture of this truth? How does this passage, with Christ’s help, call to flourish in my life?
Supplication (S): What does this passage call me to pray for?
I write down the five titles: T, A, C, T, S, and give a brief response to each question. This is not the time for long and thoughtful answers. A phrase or a single word is sufficient to serve as guidance for your meditation. Your responses will often be brief and sketchy; they need to be long enough to prompt you to be exact in your thinking. With this initial spade work done on the passage, you can begin to gently repeat the passage out loud and offer your prayers, confessions, and praises to God. What I found so helpful in Luther’s guidance was a way of keeping both the biblical text and the presence of God in focus during my meditation.
References:
Keller, Timothy. 2008. Praying with the Psalms. New York: Redeemer Presbyterian Church.
Luther, Martin. 2000. A Simple Way to Pray. Louisville, Ky: Westminster John Knox.