Ever since I read Frank Peretti’s book Piercing the Darkness, I will admit I have struggled with yoga and meditation. I have never really done yoga as a result, but the Bible commands us to meditate. However, when Scripture talks about meditation, it is very different than how I see others teaching it.

Meditation is usually taught in a way that encourages you to clear your mind of everything. Accomplishing this is quite the feat. Have you ever tried to clear your mind of everything? The only way I have been able to get anywhere near it is by thinking of a large black wall. Go ahead, try it, I’ll wait…

I’ve been doing quite a bit of research into neuroscience, and one thing I have been able to decipher is that the brain rests in activity, not in inactivity. Let me explain. When you are sleeping, your brain is actually working harder than it did all day! When you are deliberately thinking about something, you actually slow your brain down.

Unlike your body, your mind gets tired when it is bored. Have you ever noticed when you spend all day vegging out on the couch binge watching Netflix, you go to bed exhausted? It is because your brain is bored.

What’s really interesting is the Bible supports this. When Scripture tells us to meditate, it has nothing to do with clearing our minds of every thought. Instead, we are commanded to meditate on His Word. We are to think about, process, and digest Scripture. We are to take our thoughts captive and process them through the lens of the Bible.

So if you want to meditate the biblical way, you need to read your Bible and then think about what you read.

Here are some questions to think through:

• What did that passage teach you about God?
• Did it point out a sin, a promise, a life principle, etc.?
• How should it change you?
• When are you going to follow through?

If you would like a worksheet to help you process this, you can download my free Bible study workbook and/or join the Bible Study Academy.