This discipline involves the common practices of meditation, where we create an emotional and spiritual space in our hearts to hear and feel the Lord, while being guided specifically by Scripture to direct our thoughts to the place where that Scripture leads. Thus we would concentrate and think deeply on an assigned passage as we discover who God is and whose we are. Our objective is to arrive at a place of new understandings that lead to changed behavior as a result of our efforts.

In its simplest understanding, meditation is a process of shutting out the world in order to usher in God’s voice and obey it. Our desert foreparents had the ability to meditate day and night on God’s creation and provision. As early as Genesis, we discover that “Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening” (Genesis 24:63). As you are fighting traffic in your daily commute to work, or struggling with the cacophony of child rearing, this might sound ideal! Not to mention impossible! But with focus and discipline, we too can create that field for ourselves.

 In his marvelous work, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster presents a four-fold approach to the discipline of study that I think works beautifully in this context. If we follow these steps as stepping stones in our Scripture Meditation, our fields will reveal themselves.

Shall we try it? Let's read this Holy Week passage and then we'll unpack the four steps of Scripture Meditation:

John 12 (New International Version)

20 "Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

30 Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35 Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. 36 Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them."

The first step is repetition. As you contemplate each Scripture, read it several times in several different translations. Commit it to memory if you can. 

The second step is concentration. Really focus in on the setting, the dialogue, the characters in the passage and ask yourself, what is happening? Concentrate on what God is saying to you. 

Comprehension is the third step. Do you understand the context? What is the point? 

Lastly, we reflect on the Scripture. This is the critical take-away process of internalizing the message through our meditation. What did God say to you? More importantly, what are you going to do about it? 

 By using Scripture meditation this way, may we concentrate on God’s message to us and deepen our relationship with Jesus.