WHAT IS MEDITATION?

Since the word meditation now has so many different meanings, we need to be sure about what it really means. Psychologically, there are two types of meditationconcentrative meditation and external awareness meditation. In concentrative meditation, a person seeks to restrict awareness of the outside world by focusing attention on an object or thought. Here, you try to restrict each of the senses in turn until you have them all shut out. Visually, you may concentrate on a picture. Auditorily, you could focus on a distant sound. Physically, you restrict your movement. Together, this deprives your senses and you become highly focused. Concentrative meditation is the foundation for yoga, TM, tai chi, Zen Buddhism, and so forth. Dont misunderstand me. Such a practice can powerfully reduce stress. It stands to reason that if you train yourself in such a high level of focus and concentration, your stress levels will diminish. My objection, however, is that those who practice concentrative meditation dont attribute the benefits to the simple and natural value of restricting the senses. They attribute it to their particular religious or New Age practice. In other words, they legitimize their beliefs through it. Or let me put it another way. If you practice any of these concentrative meditation techniques without accepting the quasi-religious underpinnings, you will clearly benefit. In fact, some of the things we do in our Christian forms of meditation incorporate concentration, simply because concentration helps us to assimilate scripture and pray more effectively. Clearly, there is nothing wrong or unchristian with concentration. Some of our praying could benefit everyone a whole lot more of it. The second form of meditation, understood psychologically is external awareness meditation. Here, the practice is the opposite of the formeryou meditate in order to open up your awareness of the outside world. For instance, the Benedictine monks have a discipline of listening to the world. They believe God speaks through nature and history, that God is manifest in all of His creation. For example, when you peel and eat an orange, you pay attention to all its attributes: its fragrance, its texture, its taste. Even tragedy must be listened to for its message from God. Similarly, the Quakers have a practice of listening with the heart. Silence is used extensively to aid in hearing what God has to say to your heart. I must confess that I find the external awareness approach more appealing, but this may well just be my personality. But, here again, the stress-lowering value of the meditation doesnt necessarily come from the content of the meditation, but from the process of meditation. It slows you down, for one thing. In addition, t helps you to control your thoughts. Christians who meditate on a personal and knowable God have the added benefit of coming closer to the real, living God, and having Him draw closer to you. For the Christian, then, meditation is a very special experience. I realize that in saying this I am diminishing the spiritual importance of other religious systems, but that is my position. IS THERE A CHRISTIAN FORM OF MEDITATION? From my remarks thus far, you will no doubt have discerned that I strongly believe that there is a Christian form of meditation. This may not be such a startling statement in some circles, but for many conservative Christians it might he revolutionary. Not only is meditation valid, hut I would go a step further and say that it is essential to the Christians life.

Those Christians who suffer from severe forms of anxiety are depriving themselves of a rich and powerful resource for recovery. Research indicates that the benefits of meditation are overwhelmingly positive. From Olympic athletes to business executives, meditation has been found to be very beneficial. True, a lot of the research that has examined the benefits of meditation has only looked at secular forms of meditation, but my feeling is that if secular meditation (navel gazing, if you like) helps to relieve anxiety, how much more will a Christ-centered and purposeful Christian meditation he of help? Besides, Christian anxiety sufferers deserve to know how to develop a Christian form of meditation. To be Christian, meditation must depend for its results not just on the physical value of meditating, hut on the very action of Gods grace as well. It is the action of the Holy Spirit within the soul of the believer, releasing the presence of God to be felt and experienced down to the very marrow of every bone that brings healing. It is this form of meditation that I would like to outline briefly now. To begin with, think of Christian meditation as a form of spiritual resting and a time to listen to God. It can be a form of prayer, praise, or reflection on Scripture. It is riot the use of a mantra or any other such device. In other words, do not mimic TM or other secular form of meditation. Do not adopt their language or phrases. This only confuses what you are trying to do. I am trying to define what is a truly acceptable Christian form of meditation, not mimic the popular variants. Websters Dictionary defines meditation as: Deep reflection on sacred matters as a devotional act; study; ponder; to think deeply and continuously. I love this definition because it guides us exactly into what Christian meditation is and is not. It is not sorne mystical, esoteric, or strange operation. You do not leave your body or visit strange planets) inside or outside your inner or outer universe. Meditation is simply a devotional act of deep reflection. Some branches of the Christian church have a long history of such meditational practices. Most conservative Christians have neglected it. So I think that we Christians could do with a lot more deep reflection on matters to do with our faith and Christian experience. There are, therefore, two essential ingredients you need to focus on as you develop your ability to practice Christian meditation. First, you must develop some ability to focus on something specific. Type A minds, like my own, are all over the place. Thoughts flood my thinking and jump from pillar to post. Clinically, we call this polyphasic thinking. Some of us will require disciplined practice to enable us to become monophasic thinkersone thought at a time. Then, and only then, is deep rejection possible. Second, you have to get into the habit of worshiping beyond attendance at church. This seems obvious, but my experience with many Christians is that they seriously think that worship is what you do in church and only in church. They have never stood on the edge of a canyon, marveled at the grandeur of nature, and felt compelled to fall on their knees n an act of worship. They have never looked into the face of a newborn baby and wanted to cry out in worship. It never even dawns on them that worship is for every moment of any day. And this is where Christian meditation can be helpful. It is all about worship, a devotional act. And if you learn to meditate regularly, you will also come to worship regularly. Christian meditation, therefore, not only has the advantage of providing us with a powerful antidote for stress and anxiety, hut at the same time helps us to develop a worshipful lifestyle. So let me make myself clear: Christian meditation, designed to help your mind and body to become more tranquil,s a spiritual discipline that can

enhance your experience of God. It is a form of worshipnot the jubilant, celebrative form in which you experience peak mountaintop or high emotions, but the peaceful, tranquil form in which you remain quiet and at rest, coming to know the peacefulness of the presence of God. Christian meditation is the literal embodiment of Psalm 46:10, be still, and know that I am God (NW). It is not a substitute for your prayer or Bible study time, but a supplement to it. It is not a substitute for corporate worship time when you join with others in community, but an extension of it.