Recently, in the blogosphere, there was a discussion, a very good discussion, about whether or not meditating on scripture is “New Age.” The blog post referred to an article by Keri Wyatt Kent in the popular magazine, Today’s Christian Woman.
I read the article, Fresh Air, in the magazine when it came to my house, and I thought it was great. It encouraged me to hold on to certain words, certain phrases from the Bible and meditate on them throughout the day. This is so important for us women, especially us moms who are being watched nearly every second by the little souls God has put into our homes to disciple.
So I was surprised at some of the things that were said about this article, and especially surprised at some of the comments by bloggers who didn’t take the time to read Keri’s article to understand her full meaning.
Well, we must be careful not to use our blogs as a place to gossip. In Matthew 18:15, it says “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
What this means is — if you have a problem with someone, you need to go to that person individually to discuss it. In the 21st century this means if you don’t like something someone says or writes, it’s not a good idea to go blog about them and get your readers to turn against them as well. For one thing, misunderstandings ABOUND when we read words instead of seeing the speaker say them in person. (Body language and voice intonation account for a huge percentage of communication).
Keri Wyatt Kent is a fine Christian woman, a mother who has given her life to the Lord, and who uses her gifts of speaking and writing to lead women to a closer walk with Jesus. You can write her personally from her website.
She was a guest on my blog last April. I read her entire book, Listen: Finding God in the Story of Your Life and reviewed it for CWO Book Buzz here. You can read our interview here.
She is NOT a New Ager — she’s not leading people into a cult. She’s leading them into a deeper love of Scripture through meditating on God’s Word. Keri has often encouraged me as a weary mom with her inspiring articles in the magazine MOPS publishes, MomSense.
In case you didn’t click over to read the complete article, here’s what Keri says about the practice of listening:
Christians have prayed and listened to Scripture through a practice called Lectio Divina (Latin for “Sacred Word”) for centuries. You read a passage slowly several times, spending time in silence between readings, letting the words sink into your soul as you listen for the one word or phrase that touches you most deeply.
Lectio Divina is a way to meditate on Scripture by listening and then responding—breathing in God’s Word, breathing out a prayer. Traditionally, this practice includes four parts: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Deep listening to Scripture requires a focus on God’s words rather than ours. In Lectio Divina, I listen to what God wants to say just to me through the text. I’m open to listening not just to general truth that’s applicable to everyone, but for specific truth that applies to my unique circumstances.
In this practice, I read a short passage. For a month or more one summer, I kept going back to Psalm 27, reading a few verses at a time. I found myself drawn to verses 3-5, so for several days, I returned to that short section. I read it slowly, noticing how often I found myself drawn to the word “dwell.” What did it mean for me to “dwell in the house of the Lord” (vs. 4)? Did I really believe I was “safe in his dwelling”? How could I truly dwell in his presence?
These verses became a love letter from God to me, an invitation to deeper intimacy with him …
She later continues to explain the practice of “breath prayer:”
Psalm 1:2 exhorts us to meditate on God’s Word, to delight in it. Unlike Eastern meditation practices, which focus on emptying the mind, a breath prayer is a way of filling your mind—but filling it with God alone.
I ask you, is there anything unbiblical about this? David meditated on scripture throughout the psalms. If I had more time and were not taking care of sick children, I’d look up many verses in the Bible where God’s people meditated on the Word, including Jesus, who was constantly meditating on scripture.
This morning where I live, it’s cold and rainy. My voice is hoarse, and I keep coughing from this nagging cold that has swept through our whole family (three kids still sick).
My two oldest daughters were slow to get up for school, complaining about this and that. My 1st grader couldn’t find her favorite shoes, and we spent 20 minutes running around the house looking for them, until we at last found them in our downstairs bathroom.
All during this time, I had a verse in my head: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve … but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). We know this is when Joshua is talking to the Israelites, giving them the choice to serve the Almighty God or to wander off and choose the false gods of the Amorites, in whose land they were settling.
My mind dwelt on the word, “CHOOSE.” Every second, I had a choice. Will I lash out in wrath at my daughter for being careless and whiny? Every part of me wanted to scream, “If you’d put your shoes in your closet where they belong, they wouldn’t be lost! Quit your whining!”
Instead, I kept my voice soft and my tones encouraging. I found another pair of shoes for her and put these on her feet tenderly while we kept up our search.
When I realized I had forgotten to pack lunches, the words came again to my mind, “Choose whom you will serve.” This means, will I live for Jesus and offer a sacrifice of praise with my lips? Or will I live for me and scream out, “OH NO! I forgot the lunches! Why can’t you kids pack your own lunches?” Blah blah blah.
The choice came. I packed their lunches quickly, without complaint. I CHOSE God’s way because I’d hidden His Word in my heart — through meditating on a single verse when I desperately needed it most.
I’m not writing all this to make myself look good — because I have the choice right now to go have fun and read some blogs or get off the computer and go wash the breakfast dishes that are stacked in the sink. Yet another choice, and guess what I know I must do? Without complaining!
I’m reading the Bible through this year chronologically, so I’m reading huge passages that make me feel like I’m reading a novel. But the Bible is not a novel. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” MY HEART. My achy-breaky evil old heart.
This Word is living in me, breathing fire in me, helping me to slay the dragons of my emotions (anger, bitterness, depression) that have had a hold on me during my hormonally wacky child-bearing years (yes, a whole decade of feeling this way!).
As I read through the comments in a follow-up post I’m more impressed than ever with two women of God: Carol Moxley and Ann Voskamp. Their comments were written using wisely chosen words, demonstrating a love of Truth — but above all, a love of God’s people. (Oh, how I wish I had the gift of writing like these two women of faith!)
Ann has taught me so much about being thankful through her gentle, quiet spirit — and I’ve had to realize how awful my attitudes have been over the years. She has made the Bible come alive for me through her living, active faith. And I admire Carol for her ability to discern good from evil and to have the courage to stand up for what is right.
I’m not there yet — I’m still a mess, still a work in progress, making mistakes every second. But I love these women of faith, for what they continue to teach me. And I will CHOOSE today, this very second to serve the Lord. Which means getting off the computer and getting out my Windex, thanking God that I have a home to clean and a family to care for.
That’s my choice for today. What’s yours?
[Edit: Catez Stevens of AllThings2all in New Zealand has an extremely thoughtful post on this topic. In fact, she wrote Keri Wyatt Kent with her questions, and posted Keri’s reply, which clears up many misunderstandings. Please go read her post, Transcendental Meditation & Prayer: A Short Discussion with Keri Wyatt Kent.]
