How to use Meditation for real peace. It’s important.
Table of Contents
- The Bad Rap
- Jesus and meditation
- The Christian Version
- can feel scary.
- Books I recommend
- Related posts
The Bad Rap
Meditation has gotten a bad rap among Christians, although I see a changing trend. I can remember being critical of Yoga because of its “Eastern” transcendental philosophy. Sometimes, I practice Yoga myself occasionally when I can’t work out due to my feet.
I may offend some Christians, but if we don’t look at the issues that tickle our sensitivities, we’ll never understand our world. And when it comes to meditation, I wonder how it got such bad press anyway.
Jesus and meditation
What do people think Jesus was doing when He went off alone to pray? He was meditating. Jesus might even have sat cross-legged. I mean, does anyone know?
Of course, I would call this kind of meditation Christian meditation. What is Christian meditation, and how is it different from Eastern meditation?
The Christian Version
Christian meditation is quite simply listening to God and obeying His word. There’s nothing mysterious about it. No mantras or chants. No seeking a deeper consciousness. It’s filling our minds with His presence.
Eastern meditation is different.
Eastern meditation isn’t about filling our minds but emptying our minds and finding a deeper level of consciousness through repetition, chants, and body posture. Its ultimate goal is a sense of detachment from the world. However, the Christian version is not a religious manipulation to bring about psychological or physical changes. They have something in common: they both lower blood pressure, and that’s a good thing.
Very few Christians practice meditation. They pray, yes, but that’s something very different than meditation. Meditation is taking our faith to deeper level. We listen more intentionally.
can feel scary.
Meditation is a little intimidating. We are listening for God’s voice. Because meditation is silent, it’s scary. We’re so much better when we are busy talking. We’re more comfortable with prayer because we choose what we want to pray about. In meditation, God does the talking, and we listen. It’s good to include both.
But sometimes, we can spend extended time just listening. We could do this by reading scripture, remaining quiet, and listening to Him speak. We don’t hear a message from God. It’s not like that. It might be an ongoing realization we continue to have throughout the day or week.
Sometimes, we seek specific answers and can trust that God will reveal the answers. But again, it’s not “God told me.” You might find the answer through the scripture you read, something someone says, or a book you might read. God reveals his will in numerous ways. It takes consistent practice to understand how he “speaks” to you. He speaks to each of us differently. But God always wants to reveal to us the answers we seek, and what he reveals will always line up with what scripture teaches.
We feel inadequate. How do we begin? How do we avoid distraction? There’s an old saying, “If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate.”
I do not admit to having all the answers. I’ve meditated for a few years now. Sometimes I sense I get it right. Other times, not so much.
But as with all things worth pursuing, I keep at it. This is one of those times where the process leads to a result which leads to more process. Hope you followed that.
Books I recommend
I recommend two books if you’d to read more.This first book is considered a classic. It’s called Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. The second book is one I’ve mentioned many times. It’s “Hearing God” by Dallas Willard. (I recommend all books by these two authors, although be prepared. Dallas Willard’s books require a lot of thinking and re-reading. But I happen to love a challenge.)
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Cinnwriter
There is a form of Christian meditation called Comtemplative Prayer which originates from the suggestions that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew 6. And recently I heard of a form of Yoga called Stretch and Pray, which is based on Lutheran liturgical formats. I don’t seen anything inconsistent at all with being Christian and meditating. Good piece here!