Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

Before we dive into “How to?”, I think we should start with “What is?” There are standard textbook definition of what meditation means and it varies depending upon the context and the applicaition.

This being my personal blog, I will share my personal experience on what I understand about meditation and how I meditate. Meditation is considered as a practise or some steps you follow to calm your mind. The only kind of meditation I know is meditating on the word of God.

The well known book in the Bible, Psalms starts with the benefits of meditating on the word of God.

… But they delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do.

We might be used to reading the word of God and maybe study even (listening to all those sermons every Sunday and attending Bible study sessions) but Do we meditate on the word of God? Meditation goes beyond reading and studying. It involves spending time ruminating on the word (more like the cow chewing the cud: when it finds the grass/food the cow just swallows it, but once it has had it’s fill, It sits down, brings it up and takes time in chewing it)

Same way, we read verses and devotionals, listen to sermons, take notes, but we need to sit down and take time to think about the verses or passages and dwell on it.

Disclaimers

Some disclaimers before we dive in to the steps. I used to meditate on the word a lot more during my college times than now. (An area of improvement for me) This list of steps might be long and not everything might be applicable for every one or for every passage, it is just meant to be a guideline for those who are just starting or for those who don’t know how to meditate on the word. Each one has their own style of doing it and there is nothing wrong with that.

Materials Required

Fear not, it is not a long or expensive or a complicated list of items. All you need is the Bible, a notebook (or any note-taking app, if you are the digital junkie) a pencil/highlighter, pen. Your mobile/laptop will also come in handy for one of the steps.

To me, writing down things always help me focus, concentrate and remember things better, but you do you! Let’s dive into the 7Cs. For better understanding of the steps, I’m taking 1 Samuel Chapter 25 as a case study for today. I am using NLT translation, you can choose whichever translation you have. Let us meditate on this chapter together.

1. Context

Any time we start on a passage for study/meditation, we always look at the context. We look at what happened in the previous passage in order to have a good understanding of the background or the setting.

Case study – Context

In 1 Samuel 25 verses 1-3 actually give us the background of what is happening. The prophet Samuel had died, David had moved into the wilderness, which happens to be in the neighbourhood of Nabal’s house/land. It is sheep shearing season.

David is currently on the run from Saul and he has around 600 soldiers with him (1 Samuel 25 verse 13)

2. Characters

We can list down the list of characters that are present in the chapter and analyse what they are saying or doing in the passage. Sometimes it is good to find out their name meanings and list it too. Or names of the places the passage is set in.

Case Study – Characters

In our passage, the main characters are:

Nabal– In verse 2 and 3 he is described as wealthy, crude and mean (some versions call him stingy) His name means Fool (later revealed by Abigail)

Abigail – wife of Nabal described as sensible and beautiful.(verse 3)

David – In this chapter, He is an angry man who is out for vengeance (verses 13, 33, 34)

3. Comprehension

This is the step where we go over the passage twice or thrice if required and try to understand what is being said in and through the passage. What are the interactions between the characters, who says what and why. If you don’t understand anything, we can note down those questions or doubts.

Case Study – Comprehension

I’m just writing down in a few lines my understanding of the passage or the highlights.

Nabal was mean to David, he did not acknowledge David and his men’s help. Because he was stingy, he was not willing to share his food with David’s men though he was celebrating and chose to insult him instead.

Abigail, was quick to act when she knew about the imminent danger her family was in. She made a plan, went into action. Prepared the food necessary, sent it over and went in person to apologise on her husband’s behalf and tried to pacify David. Urging him to refrain from violence and bloodshed, reminding him of God’s promise and calling on his life and to trust in God for vengeance and not to do it himself.

David, though angry initially, setting out to kill everyone in Nabal’s household, after listening to Abigail’s persuasive words, he decided to step back. He receives her gifts (food) and appreciates her good sense.

God struck Nabal. (verse 38)

4. Connections

This is the step where we think about other passages in the Bible which is similar or which we are reminded of. We try to do some cross referencing. We can use the tools like google or any AI of choice to search for connections or other relevant verses. And note it down or search through other translations, you never know which tool God uses to guides you through the process.

Case Study – Connections

This passage reminded me of the beatitude “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God.” Also the verse which says “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.”

Abigail reminded me of how a Proverbs 31 woman in action would be. One thing that impressed me was how she had learned when to speak and when not to speak (verse 19 and verse 36)

I tried to think of other women who were described as beautiful in the Bible – Sarah, Rachel.

5. Contemplation

This is when we try to glean what we can learn from this passage and apply to our life. Compare ourselves with the characters/events and think about how we would have behaved, are we able to relate to specific things that the characters said or did? What does God want me to learn out of this? Go through the passage again and note down some key verses that pop out or seem to impress upon you.

Case Study – Contemplation

Am I like Abigail? Prudent? Ready to be humble, ready to make peace/apologise? Quick to react?

Am I angry like David? Do I have a thirst for vengeance?

Am I a fool like Nabal? Am I stingy or mean? Have I offended anyone of late?

6. Conversation

Though it is listed as step 6, it does not by any means come at the last. Meditation involves an ongoing conversation with God. Before you start, you pray. As you read, you talk to God, asking the Holy spirit to open your eyes to see the things He has kept in store for you to learn. Ask Him to reveal His character in and through this passage or to reveal what needs to change in your heart in response to His revelation.

The moment you surrender and start asking, trust me, the Holy Spirit is just waiting to show you from his treasure trove. Every time you meditate, He gives a new revelation. It might be a familiar passage, you might have heard so many sermons on the same but God will show you a new angle, something you have never thought of before. There are so many layers to God’s word, as you spend more and more time in it, you will discover how precious it is!

Case Study – Conversation

My questions to God/ thoughts might be something like this:

What do you want me to learn from this passage Lord?

How can I understand Abigail better?

The servants were confident enough to approach her with their problems rather than Nabal because he wouldn’t listen to anyone. Am I approachable? Can people come to me with their problems? Am I helpful and kind?

Lot of contrast between Nabal and Abigail is highlighted Lord.

Did Nabal have a heart attack? Did he understand the gravity of the situation he was in? He was just enjoying his party while his wife went out to save her family. 400 men could have easily wiped out the entire family, though he might have had many servants.

Make me prudent like Abigail O Lord, grant me the wisdom on when to talk and when not to talk.Help me be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (James 1:19)

7. Convey

This is usually my last step, I don’t do it all the time but if I feel like the things I learned would be of use to others, then I decide to write it as a blog and post it and share it with others (like this one) or I write short notes and share with my small group or I just talk to my mom of what I learned. Sharing always helps. It helps you retain what you learned much longer, also whomever you share it with will also be blessed.

Case Study – Convey/Share

https://biblecharacterstudy.blogspot.com/2020/02/abigail.html: How to Meditate?

This was a meditation I had done on the same chapter, a few years back!

Was it helpful? Which of the steps do you do already? Which are some new things you learned and think will be of help to you? Which are the steps you are planning to start doing? Lets chat in the comments or feel free to reach out to me in private chat!

Happy meditating!