Biblical Meditation

 New Age is an alternative religion. In New Age, feelings and experiences are emphasised. In New Age meditation the imagination and especially the visual imagination is encouraged and developed.

Christians must of course avoid false religions. This is particularly emphasised in the Bible.

“You shall have no other gods before me. Ex 20:3 NIV

God's people must not only reject other gods. In the Old Testament, the Jews were not allowed to imitate the worship practices and religious customs of other religions.

Many Christians therefore avoid all intense meditation because meditation is very prominent in Buddhism, Hinduism, Yoga and New Age.

But this causes problems because the Bible teaches us that we must not only read, learn and study the Bible, but that we must also meditate intensively.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Ps 1:1–2 NIV 

 What is the Hebrew word ‘hagah’?

to roar, growl, groan, to utter, speak. to meditate, devise, muse, imagine. (Strong's Lexicon)

What does this mean? Our relationship with God and his word involves all aspects of our thoughts and emotions, including our imagination.

So are we allowed to meditate and visualise?

In the Bible, God's truth is repeatedly presented with vivid visual illustrations.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, I am about to set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires.

I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of jewels, and all your wall of precious stones. Is 54:10–12 NRSV

Should the Holy Spirit express himself in this way, but forbid us to think in this way?

New Age does not come from God, but from darkness. The devil cannot create anything. He copies everything from God, the Creator of all things.

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Mt 22:37 NRSV

Your thought world includes maths, logic, memorising, music, making plans, etc, etc.

But your world of thoughts also includes memories, dreams, daydreams, musing, meditating and all kinds of imaginations, including visual ones.  

Dreams and daydreams can be sinful or sacred. We must not abolish our imagination, but sanctify it with the Holy Spirit through God's Word.

Dreams, Visions and Holy Imagination

 In the Old Testament, many prophets were seers. They received visible revelations as visions and dreams.

Revelations can also come as thoughts or audible words, but visible revelations were very important.

Jesus was also a seer.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. Jn 5:19 NRSV

God also gave the apostles visions and dreams.

But was this gift only for Jesus and the heroes of faith of the past?

According to the Bible, no.

‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NRSV

This prophecy was fulfilled in the New Testament, but should it not also apply to us?

What is the first and most important commandment of God?

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Mt 22:37 NRSV

Our heart is not just a machine that drives our circulation.

There is a girl who had a heart transplant when she was 10 years old. She started having a terrible dream. She kept dreaming of a man coming into her bedroom through the window. He came towards her and attacked her violently.

She had to see a psychiatrist. She was able to describe the man in the dream in detail. When the psychiatrist researched the story of the heart transplant, it turned out that her new heart came from a girl who had been murdered in exactly the same way.

With the help of the psychiatrist, she reported her dream to the police. The police then caught the murderer.

In the Bible we read that we think not only with our brains, but also with our hearts.

In this story we can also see that emotional thoughts and visual memories not only involve the brain, but also the heart.

Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus that the eyes of their hearts would be open.

so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, Eph 1:18 NRSV

An unholy heart can do great harm.

For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. Mt 15:19 NIV

What do you see on the screen of your mind? Do you see porn videos and dirty daydreams, or do you see the answers to your prayers? Perhaps the conversion of your family, or the homecoming of your rebellious children?

A wicked heart and evil daydreams can ruin your life, but a holy heart and holy imaginations can lead you in God's ways.

Bruce D Allen loved Jesus and wanted to proclaim God's love as a preacher. He studied at a Bible college, but he was shy and afraid of public speaking. He went to chapel every night and preached with passion. He imagined the pews were full of listeners. One evening, God opened the eyes of his heart. Instead of human listeners, he saw holy angels.

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Mt 22:37 NRSV

You shall love your God with all your mind, with Bible study, with your intellect and with the screen of your imagination.