Delighting in the Word of God: Meditating on the Word

Despite all his sinfulness and brokenness, King David loved the Lord and his Word with all his heart. This is, in part, why he wrote Psalm 119 and expressed himself with words like these: “In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word…I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes…Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:14,16, 48, 97).

Do you hear his heart? David meditated on the Word because he delighted in the Word, and he delighted in the Word because he delighted in God himself. One of the ways we display the value of a person is by listening to their words, and the closer we listen the more value we display. So, again, definitions and techniques aside, meditation on the Word of God is a fruit of our delight in and valuing of God.

To study the Bible is to seek a greater understanding of what God has said and done. To meditate on the Bible is to seek greater insight into the meaning and applications of what he’s said and done. In fact, the primary Hebrew word for meditation means “to speak under one’s breath, or to converse with oneself.” Have you ever been thinking so deeply about something that you’ve caught yourself talking out loud, or worse yet, been caught by someone else? If so, then you understand meditation. To study is to understand, and to meditate is to be captivated. This is why David wrote, “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works” (Psalm 119:27). In other words, he’s saying, “Grant me knowledge that I may delight in you.”

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in love for God. “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules…Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning…The Lord is my portion” (119:7, 54, 57). Indeed, biblical meditation is the fuel of true worship.

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in the knowledge of the will and ways of God. As David noted, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:99). The same was true of Jesus when he was young (Luke 2:47) and of Peter and John after the Day of Pentecost (Acts 4:13). True knowledge before God is a fruit of meditation on the Word of God.

As we learn to meditate on the Word, we grow in the ability to endure life’s many trials. David wrote, “Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes…Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts” (119:23, 78). Beloved, meditation on the Word is a discipline that bears many kinds of fruit, so hear David’s heart, hear your Father’s voice drawing you toward his Word, and join David in the commitment to savor the Word each day. “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise” (119:148).