Yes—and no.
It all depends on what you mean by meditate.
If by meditate, you mean trying to empty your mind of any thoughts, then the answer is no.
Meditation is simply focused thinking. You can’t separate one from the other.
At its core, meditation is about withdrawing from distraction and focusing your thinking
The practice itself is neutral — you can focus on a thought, a truth, a goal, or simply the present moment.
It’s not inherently religious or cultural, any more than reading, writing, or public speaking. Meditation is simply a tool — and like any tool, it can be used well or misused.
So don’t judge the tool. Judge how it’s used.
Is Meditation in the Bible?
Absolutely.
Abraham’s son Isaac was found meditating in the field (Genesis 24:63).
God commanded Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8).
And the Psalms encourage us to meditate on God’s law and promises (Psalm 1:2, Psalm 119:148).
How Can Christians Meditate Well?
Start by turning your thoughts toward the God of the Bible and what He has said. That’s the heart of Christian meditation — filling your mind with truth, not just trying to empty it.
1. Start with the Bible
The Bible is the foundation.
Meditation that isn’t grounded in Scripture often drifts into self-help spirituality — more focused on our feelings than on God’s truth.
Here’s a simple way to start:
- Read a short passage
- Sit with it — reflect, chew, and linger
- Let your thoughts be Godward — focused on Jesus, where true joy is found
2. Less is More
We live in an age of information overload. From the moment we wake up, we’re hit with sermons, podcasts, YouTube, social media, Wikipedia… you name it.
But all this input is useless if we never slow down to ponder.
Meditation is what transforms you from someone who knows about the Bible into someone shaped by it.
As the old saying goes:
“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
3. Find a Good Location
Choose a space that allows for stillness.
Silence and solitude are friends of deep thinking.
For some, it’s a walk in nature.
For others, it’s a chair by the window, or an attic room where you can sit with God for 20–30 minutes without distraction.
4. Use Music & Prayer
Worship music can help set the tone.
Choose contemplative songs that direct your heart toward what you’re meditating on.
Then, turn it into prayer.
Speak to God about what you’ve just reflected on. Thank Him, ask Him, wrestle with Him — He can handle it all.
A Worked Example
Step 1: Read
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
— Romans 11:33
Step 2: Meditate
Let that image of depth sink in.
Think about the ocean — how vast, mysterious, and largely unexplored it is.
Did you know over 80% of the ocean remains unmapped?
Now let this hit you:
God’s wisdom is even deeper than that.
His ways are beyond tracing — and yet, through Jesus, He invites us to know Him.
Pause here.
Reflect on how God’s wisdom was displayed in the cross and resurrection — a plan no human would’ve dreamed up, yet it changed everything.
Step 3: Sing & Pray
Play a hymn like “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us.”
Let the lyrics lead you deeper into wonder.
Then pray.
Thank God for His wisdom, His love, and the mystery that invites you in — not to understand everything, but to know Him.
So, Should Christians Meditate?
Absolutely.
Some Christians get a bit uneasy with the word meditation — and understandably so. It’s been used (and misused) in various religions and cultural practices.
But misuse shouldn’t lead to disuse.
Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Just because other religions use the word doesn’t mean we should abandon the practice.If anything, we should reclaim it — and root it firmly in biblical truth.
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