Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night…do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water…(Psalm 1:1-3)

Both verses stress the high value of meditating on the word of God. The word in this instance is the Law as received by Moses. Joshua is called to meditate on this Law so he could be prosperous and successful as the successor to Moses.

Similarly, all who meditate on the Law are guaranteed to be like a tree planted by streams of water that bears its fruit in season, whose leaves do not wither. In other words, meditation on the word of God leads to a life of perpetual fruitfulness.

Quite a promise, wouldn’t you say? Who among us would not desire such a life? No one in leadership could turn down the opportunity to be successful as Joshua was, amen?

The key to such successful and flourishing lives is MEDITATION ON THE WORD.

Meditation in today’s world has come to signify something very different from what the Bible teaches.

Consider this definition from an online medical dictionary: Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.

Contrast this with the meaning of the Hebrew word “hagah” that is translated “meditate” in the above verses: to roar, growl, groan, utter, murmur, mutter, speak.

Very different, isn’t it?

Quite often, meditation classes teach a person to empty their mind by repeating a syllable, such as the Hindu mantra “Om” or its equivalent.

Biblical meditation, on the other hand, focuses on filling our mind with the word of God.

Notice how Joshua was instructed to “keep this Book of the Law always ON YOUR LIPS.”

Clearly, this is a reference to speaking, not simply sitting in silence and focusing intently on an object.

For quite some time now, we have been meditating on Scripture passages such as Psalms 27 & 91 and using compilations of verses such as the one we provided in an earlier post: “Christian Speech Therapy.”

Dear DWOD friend, have you been practising Biblical meditation in this sense of the word? If yes, please share your experience with the rest of us.

If not, perhaps now is the time to get started. This way you too can experience the promises made in the first chapter of Joshua and Psalms—prosperity, success and perpetual fruitfulness—as you accelerate toward your destiny.