By Meditating on the Word of God

“Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)

Christians who love God love the Word of God.
And Christians who love the Word of God draw near to it.
Therefore, they meditate on the Word of God day and night.

Psalm 1:2 says that the blessed person “delights in the law of the Lord.”
In other words, the joy and delight of the blessed person is found in God’s Word.
Therefore, the one who delights in God’s Word meditates on it day and night (v. 2).

So, what does it mean to meditate on God’s Word?
What is “meditation”?

Meditation means listening to the voice of God.
As we read the Scriptures, we must listen to the voice of God that the Holy Spirit speaks to us.
We must diligently practice meditating on the Word, learning to hear God’s voice through the Bible.
And we must train ourselves to view our lives from the perspective of God’s Word.
If we neglect this discipline, we will end up listening only to the voices of the world, Satan, or our own selves.

Therefore, we must diligently meditate on God’s Word.
The time of meditation is a time when our soul receives the nourishment it needs.
Thus, we must slowly and thoroughly ponder the Word.
We should read and meditate on the Bible like a miner digging for gold.

So, what do we hope to gain by meditating on God’s Word?

First, by meditating on God’s Word, we must come to know Jesus more deeply.

As we read, listen, study, and meditate on the Scriptures, what we pursue is knowledge of Jesus.

The Bible is “His Story” — the story of Jesus.
The Old Testament is the story of the promise of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The New Testament is the story of Jesus who came to fulfill that promise.

More specifically, the New Testament tells how Jesus came as promised in the Old Testament, was crucified to save you and me, died, and rose again on the third day.
It also tells the story of the church after His resurrection and ascension, and the promise of His return.

Therefore, we must grow daily in the knowledge of Jesus by reading, listening, studying, and meditating on God’s Word with increasing diligence.
And when Jesus asks us, “Who do you say I am?”, we must be able to confess like the apostle Peter:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15–16).

Secondly, by meditating on the Word of God, we must imitate the heart of God the Father.

The Bible is not only the story of Jesus Christ but also shows us the heart of God the Father, who sent His only begotten Son Jesus to this earth to bestow the grace of salvation upon you and me.
Therefore, when we delight in the Word of God and meditate on it, we must carefully consider what the heart of God is that He wants to reveal to us.
Once, during an early morning prayer meeting, while meditating mainly on Psalm 103:13, I was able to grasp a little of the heart of God the Father.
At that time, guided by the Holy Spirit, I realized that God the Father’s heart is one of compassion for sinners like me.
The Bible says that just as a father has compassion for his children, God the Father has compassion for those who fear Him (verse 13).
The Bible also tells us that our Creator God, who knows our nature, has compassion on me—a person destined to return to dust because of sin, a person like grass—and that He does not always anger, nor repay my sins according to my iniquities, but as far as the east is from the west, He removes my transgressions from me (verses 10–15).
When I came to understand even a little of this heart of God the Father, I prayed that I might imitate that heart.
In that process, I remember God the Father leading me to think of and pray for the members of our church whom He loves.
I do not want to pastor superficially.
I want to pastor sincerely, imitating the heart of God the Father who sees the heart.
How do you want to live your family life, work life, church life—that is, your life of faith?
I hope that you and I, as we meditate on the Word of God, will come to understand the heart of God the Father and live a faith life that imitates His heart.

Thirdly, by meditating on the Word of God, we must stand firm in faith and win the spiritual battle.

The return of Jesus is drawing closer and closer.
Therefore, we must be prepared.
We must anticipate the trials we will face.
Satan knows his time is short and is working harder to deceive you and me who believe in Jesus.
He is striving with all his might to cause us to fall away from faith and betray Jesus.
We must prepare.
To fight the spiritual battle against Satan, we must stand firm in faith.
Then, even amid trials and persecution, we can confess like the apostle Paul:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Desiring that you experience even more the power of God’s Word,

Pastor James Kim
(Only the Word!)