Is there such a thing as Christian Meditation?

Many people think that if you’re Christian and God means everything to you, you shouldn’t meditate. That’s because there’s a common assumption among many people, that Buddhism is a religion (as Christianity is) and that combining a ‘Buddhist practice’ with Christian belief, would be a sin. ‘Christian meditation’ is a misnomer in these circles.

Actually, Buddhism isn’t really a religion. There isn’t any worshipping of deities (gods) or other beliefs you might associate with religion in its truest sense. Buddhism really just tries to offer you a way to understand yourself, other people, and the world. It suggests one of the best ways to do this, is through introspection, or concentrating on your thoughts and actions – which is meditation. If you can understand these better, then you’re more able to experience them in a way that makes you happy.

Not only that, but meditation as a practice isn’t just confined to Buddhism. In fact, the Christian Bible doesn’t at all forbid meditation and it’s not described as a sin. Quite the contrary; there’s even such a thing as Christian meditation.

In the bible, it states that Christians should meditate - see Joshua 1:8, where God says we should meditate on his work day and night so that we’ll obey it. And that’s not the only time the bible mentions something about Christian meditation. In another verse, Psalm 1:2, it says “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night”. There are also quite a few other verses that mention Christian meditation.

One of the forms of Christian meditation practiced by Christians, is the lectio divina. It’s been used since about the fourth century AD. The words “lectio divina” mean “sacred reading”, so having a go at this technique means you’re meditating for God. The practice has four different stages:

Lectio – means “reading”. 
Meditatio – means “discursive meditation”
Oratio – means “affective prayer”
Contemplatio – means “contemplation”

During the first stage (lectio), you locate a certain passage and then read it. During the meditatio stage, you think about the text. When you get to the third stage, (oratio), you communicate with God, asking Him about the text reading and asking Him to divulge the truth in it. Then, in the final stage, (contemplatio) you relax, but in the presence of God.

Nowadays, Christian meditation is seen as something to do with the new age movement. But thousands of years ago, the Bible began telling its readers to think and remember God’s word, because whatever we think about becomes a part of us. Our thoughts determine our behavior. Meditation is simply a concentrated form of thought.

So, yes, Christian meditation does exist. The Bible actually encourages it. Take a look and you’ll see just how many times it’s spoken about Christian meditation and how he wants his children to meditate on his word.

So if you are willing to take part in Christian meditation, you might like to try the following. When you wake up in the morning, try making a list in your mind of all the things in your life that make you thankful. Spending some time contemplating these will make you feel endlessly cheerful, and will really kick-start your day. If you’re trying the Christian meditation version, simply give thanks to God at the same time. It’s almost the same as praying!