Think About These Things

An Introduction to Christian Meditation

Many practices can help us cultivate a habit of silence and stillness, but one that has been profoundly helpful to me, personally, is meditation. I have found that a regular practice of meditation can help nurture the spiritual habit of being still, gently guiding us to become comfortable with silence as we participate in the slow and holy process of spiritual growth.

Christian meditation, particularly Scripture meditation, is a classical spiritual discipline rooted deeply in the Bible and in ancient Christian practice. Meditation is a way of communing with God through pondering His Word. J. I. Packer describes Christian meditation as “an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.”*

Meditation is a holy habit that plays an important role in our spiritual growth. The Bible itself encourages us to meditate regularly: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8 ESV). “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2 NIV). “O God, we meditate on your unfailing love” (Psalm 48:9 NIV).

When we meditate, we turn our thoughts away from unhelpful thinking patterns and shift away from ruminations of the past and worries about the future. But we also need something to direct our thoughts toward.

Philippians 4:8–9 gives us a helpful guide for the kinds of things we should focus our thoughts on — the things we should meditate upon. Think about these things. Put them into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Sounds simple enough, right? But thoughts can be tricky. In an effort to think about all the “right” kinds of things, it can be easy to scrutinize and judge every single thought that comes into your mind and heap shame on yourself because of any not-so-perfect thoughts.

Can I reach out and wrap my arms around you and offer you a bit of grace here, a bit of freedom? The truth about thoughts is this: thoughts are just thoughts. Even intrusive or unwanted thoughts hold no power unless you give it to them. Ruminating, worrying, or stressing about negative or intrusive thoughts will only give them more power. To minimize their control over your mind, do what Paul described as “taking every thought captive” (2 Corinthians 10:5 HCSB). We do this not by obsessing over our thoughts but by simply being mindful of them — noticing their presence with an attitude of compassion and grace — then intentionally shifting them toward something healthier and more edifying. This takes a lot of practice. A mindfulness activity, such as trains of thought may be especially helpful.

As trains of thought pass through your mind, simply observe them. If it’s an intrusive, negative, or dishonorable thought, let it ride right by. Don’t climb aboard or try to explore it. Don’t try to figure it out. As you let those thoughts pass by, intentionally turn your attention toward a different train, something more edifying for your mind and soul.

In the guided meditations in this Bible Reading Plan, we’re going to hop onto some new “trains” and explore them a bit. Over time, this practice will help us be more intentional about the thought trains we choose to board and spend time on. Rather than focusing on the loud, anxious thoughts taking up so much of our attention and time, we can compassionately choose to turn our focus toward trains of thought that are more beneficial to us.

Each of the following meditations will focus on one of the categories from Philippians 4: what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise. You’ll see as we meditate through various passages that these themes of focus overlap in many ways, together creating a complete picture of the kind of thinking that will help our roots grow deep and help our minds find greater peace as we grow in our knowledge and trust of God.

As we move into these meditations, it’s important to remember that meditation is a practice that takes practice. I recommend starting small. If you are just beginning, don’t jump into a full thirty-minute meditation session every single day. You will likely become discouraged quickly and give up. It’s okay to build the practice slowly. I’ve included thirty guided meditations in this book, enough for a full month, but you don’t have to do a different one, or even a full one, every day. I suggest starting with just one meditation a week, focusing on one section every day. Meditate on a single Scripture passage, and then live with that text for the whole week, contemplating it periodically throughout your days. Narrow the passage to just a single verse or phrase. Memorize it. Pray it throughout your week. Then grow your meditative muscle by adding more time of focused meditation the next week.

* J.I. Packer, Knowing God, IVP Signature Collection ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021), loc. 319 of 6384, Kindle.