on January 9, 2013in Christian Meditation
What is Prayer? What is Meditation?
Some people don’t even think about praying or meditating. They would rather just “go with the flow,” hoping that things in life will just somehow work out for the best. On the other hand, there are the ones who are really searching for a better way. They are looking for the Light of God. They are trying to understand God in a deeper way. Deep inside they realize that the Light of God does the following:
- Gives us more Hope
- Gives us true understanding about the purpose of life (Why am I here? Who am I?) and about our personal situations (Why is this happening to me?).
- Tells us whether we are living our lives the way we are supposed to.
Prayer is when we try, with our minds, to “tune in” to God’s mind. It is waking up our minds, so that we can be more aware of “Spiritual” realities, even though we live in a “physical” world. Prayer can be “one on one” with God, or it can be a group effort.
Some people pray just to show off. On the other hand, some people take prayer more seriously. They really search deep inside of themselves, then they empty themselves so that the Spirit of God can come in. Jesus talks about it when he says that you shouldn’t pray in the streets like the hypocrites. Instead you should go into the closet and pray. The closet is not literal. It means to be alone with God, and not so that other people can see you.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is this: First, you have to just try to forget about anything that may be stopping you from getting closer to God. Really emptying your mind. Then you allow the Spirit of God to rise up in your body. God created your body. He knows the places in your physical body where He can fill you with His Spirit. These are called “Spiritual Centers.” When we can make the effort and allow God’s Spirit to absolutely fill us, then we are meditating. When we meditate correctly, we will be both mentally stronger and physically stronger.
Meditation is NOT just daydreaming. It is really getting your mind and your body in tune with God, our Life Line. It is waking up our Mind and our Spirit, waking them up to their relationship with God, our Maker (Creator).
When we meditate, we get our physical bodies involved, our mind, and our Spirit. It is a prayer from the “inner self,” or from the deepest part of who you are.
When we pray, we speak to God. When we meditate,
God speaks to us.
Is prayer good enough, or do we have to meditate, also?
Is asking a question good enough? Or do you need an answer? Asking, or prayer, is definitely an important part, and an excellent start. It shows God that we want to know Him better, that we need His help, and that we need His guidance. It shows that we desire God’s promises to be real in our lives. But once we have prayed, or asked, we must go to the next step. In meditation we will wait for answers; we must have an attitude of waiting patiently, an attitude of silence, an attitude of listening. We must go into meditation with these patient thoughts if we want to hear that “still, small voice” within ourselves. That “still, small voice” within ourselves will whisper to us, and we will then be sure that all is well. So prayer is the basis for meditation.
Remember Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” We have to be still, be silent, be patient, if we want to know God. When we really know Him, we can honestly say and mean: “Your will be done.” And that is when He “sups” with us. That is when we can have that personal relationship with Him, the way you would sit with a close friend and eat a good meal together. Jesus said in Revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. Whoever opens the door, I will enter in, and I will sup with him.”
When we pray, we ask God to cleanse us. If we want to truly meditate, we must cleanse our body and our mind so that we can be prepared to meet our Lord.
