During the COVID-19 pandemic, we found ourselves asking serious questions about what truly matters in life. I also spent time thinking deeply about what we should prioritise and prepare for in case we face another pandemic like this in the future. I came to the conclusion that if a pandemic prevents large groups of people from gathering, we would ultimately be left with meeting with the Lord one-on-one or gathering in small groups. I believed that the surest way to continue living a rich and vibrant life of faith even in such circumstances would be to develop the ability to meditate on God’s Word.
That is why, apart from online worship services and small-group meetings, the only other online gathering I led at the time was a course on interpreting and meditating on the Book of Revelation, which was receiving a great deal of attention then. However, because I focused so much on interpreting Revelation correctly, I was disappointed that we were not able to spend enough time on the meditation training I had originally planned. Looking back now, I think I myself did not yet fully understand what biblical meditation really was.
I have practised biblical meditation for thirty years, but it has only been in the past few years that I have come to understand clearly what meditation really is and how it can bring about genuine transformation in our lives. Until then, my meditation had largely focused on carefully interpreting a passage of Scripture and discovering the truth contained within it.
Many Christians say they have practised meditation for a long time, but I think there are two common limitations or problems. The first is taking a verse that appeals to us and immediately applying it to our own lives without objectively studying the original meaning and intention of the biblical text. The second is stopping at an intellectual understanding that is not very different from Bible study. There is no concrete action, and the application remains vague and theoretical. This kind of meditation cannot bring about genuine transformation in our lives.
What I have experienced more recently, however, is a kind of meditation that not only seeks to interpret Scripture objectively, accurately and deeply, but also applies the Word specifically to my own life and puts it into practice, resulting in real changes in the way I live. Through our recent seminar, I saw members of our church who faithfully followed this approach experience personal transformation through meditation in a relatively short period of time. This gave me even greater confidence in this method. Of course, four weeks of teaching followed by only a few weeks of practice is not enough to expect dramatic change. Nevertheless, because they have clearly learned the principles and practice of biblical meditation, I believe that if they continue faithfully, they will undoubtedly experience significant transformation.
If we learn to meditate on God’s Word well, anyone can become firmly grounded in Scripture even without taking a specialised Bible study course. Even one month of consistent meditation covers a considerable amount of Scripture. And rather than simply reading the Bible, we study the passage carefully and apply it specifically to our own lives. In that sense, it is difficult to imagine a more meaningful form of Bible study. That is why, before developing other Bible study courses, I wanted this practice of meditation to become firmly established in our church. In future Bible study courses, I also plan to incorporate this practice so that it can naturally become part of each person’s daily devotional life.
I pray that many members of our church will take part in the Meditation Seminar beginning in October and that each person will grow into a mature, self-sustaining life of faith—not a faith that always depends on someone else to lead them, but one in which they can walk faithfully with God themselves.
