Psalm 1:2-3(NKJV)
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
I learned today that at Dietrich Bonhoeffer's seminary, he required that students meditate on a single verse for an entire week for 30 minutes each day. They were not allowed to visit the original language or any other translation as they meditated. They were to listen to the words as though given directly to them from God. Many of the students found this to be a difficult task. Some of Bonhoeffer's contemporaries frowned on the practice as well, claiming the students needed more to learn to preach rather than to 'just pray and meditate.'
Deciding to spend a half hour each day alone with the Lord and a verse seems like an awfully big commitment. However, it more comes down to which of the many useless things needs to be put aside to allow this to happen. I do want to be that firmly planted tree. What better way to direct my mind to stay on Him? What better way to allow my mind to love Him fully?
Yes, I'm putting in writing that I'm going to accept Bonhoeffer's challenge. I'll begin this week with the verse I claim to be my "favorite;" Psalm 37, verse 4. I'm not sure what next week's will be, but as I write this, I have become confident that it will become evident.
Join me? First challenge, learn what it means to meditate...
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
I learned today that at Dietrich Bonhoeffer's seminary, he required that students meditate on a single verse for an entire week for 30 minutes each day. They were not allowed to visit the original language or any other translation as they meditated. They were to listen to the words as though given directly to them from God. Many of the students found this to be a difficult task. Some of Bonhoeffer's contemporaries frowned on the practice as well, claiming the students needed more to learn to preach rather than to 'just pray and meditate.'
Deciding to spend a half hour each day alone with the Lord and a verse seems like an awfully big commitment. However, it more comes down to which of the many useless things needs to be put aside to allow this to happen. I do want to be that firmly planted tree. What better way to direct my mind to stay on Him? What better way to allow my mind to love Him fully?
Yes, I'm putting in writing that I'm going to accept Bonhoeffer's challenge. I'll begin this week with the verse I claim to be my "favorite;" Psalm 37, verse 4. I'm not sure what next week's will be, but as I write this, I have become confident that it will become evident.
Join me? First challenge, learn what it means to meditate...
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