Let me begin by stating that I am not a theological scholar and that this article is only meant to help readers begin to understand meditation as a Christian practice.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my mind, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” ~ Psalm 19:14
The words meditate and meditation appear in the Bible about 50 times, mainly in the Psalms. There is no mention of Jesus performing the practice of meditation. As a Jew, Jesus followed the teachings of the Rabbis and the Torah. He would have been familiar with the practice of actively thinking on the teachings and instructions of God. The Hebrew word would have been Hagad, which doesn’t translate directly to “meditation” but seems to describe a sort of resonant sound made when a person is deeply focused — such as moaning or breathing audibly. To understand more on the Hebrew meaning of meditation, please read: Hebrew Word Study – Meditate.
The concept of meditation is often viewed as a practice of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism — and therefore as a devotion to gods other than the Christian God, making it a sin against the First Commandment. This would be true if a Christian were to practice meditation focused on another god. But let’s step back and look at what meditation actually is, beginning with the definition from Merriam-Webster:
meditate – verb
1: to engage in contemplation or reflection
2: to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
mantra – noun
1: a mystical formula of invocation (as in Hinduism)
I’ve included the definition of mantra for transparency. The key phrases to note are “such as” and “as in” — both of which provide examples, not definitive components of the word being defined. “Repetition of a mantra” and “Hinduism” are examples only, not an integral part of meditation itself.
In fact, “meditation” is much like the word “sport.” Both are generalized terms covering a large realm of practices. A square is a rectangle, but a rectangle is not necessarily a square — in the same way that football is a sport, but a sport is not exclusively football. Meditation in its broadest sense is a mental exercise engaging in contemplation. What defines the practice for each individual is what is being contemplated.
As a Christian, you can choose a Bible passage, a single word, or an issue you need God’s help with and contemplate it as a meditation. In this way, meditation is not too dissimilar from prayer. From Merriam-Webster:
pray – verb
1: to make a request in a humble manner
2: to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving
contemplation – noun
1a: concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion
1b: a state of mystical awareness of God’s being
2: an act of considering with attention
Prayer, contemplation, and meditation are devotional practices that increase the mind’s focus on whatever you place your intention. If your intention is to deepen your relationship with God, then meditation is a practice of quieting the mind so that you can focus on Him. Just as you cannot focus on a phone conversation with a friend in a room full of noise and distraction, you cannot be in conversation with God if your mind is occupied with daily tasks or distracted by worry, fear, and doubt. Meditation is not about stopping the brain from thinking — that is what the brain does. It’s about learning to let thoughts flow without paying attention to them. Of course, that takes practice.
Here are some resources for exploring Centering Prayer, also known as Contemplative Prayer — a Christian-focused meditation practice:
Here are some books by Fr. Thomas Keating, who brought the practice of Centering/Contemplative Prayer to light in the Catholic Church (links open on Amazon):
- Open Mind, Open Heart – 20th Anniversary Edition
- Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer
- The Human Condition
- Invitation to Love – 20th Anniversary Edition: The Way of Christian Contemplation
- Divine Therapy and Addiction: Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps (audiobook)
- Meditations on the Parables of Jesus
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