What it Means to MEDITATE THE WORD
In Joshua 1:8, the Lord instructs us to meditate His Word: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
But what does it mean to actually meditate the Word of God? And how do you do it?
When Kenneth Copeland first began learning such spiritual principles, he often equated them to the laws of flight—because as a pilot, that was what he understood—and meditating the Word was one of those spiritual principles.
For example, as Kenneth learned to fly, he found it hard to understand the navigation instruments. To help his mind grasp them, he set up a lamp in the middle of a room and turned it on. Then, he turned off the overhead light so only the lamp was illuminating the room. While staring at the lamp, in his mind he began to walk through all the flight steps. By keeping his eyes on the lamp, and by thinking of only the instruments, he mentally flew around the lamp.
What was he doing? He was meditating on all the steps. He was meditating on how you actually fly a plane. There were no simulators when Kenneth learned to fly, so this was the way he learned, depending on nothing but the instrument panel.
When he and Gloria first began to learn about meditating the Word, Kenneth said to her, “I already know how to do this. I’m an instrument pilot. I had to learn how to fly looking at the panel only, and not be moved by what I feel or see.”
Kenneth realized that living by faith—and not being moved by what he felt or saw—was just the same as flying instruments. If he could learn to meditate how to fly a plane, then he could learn how to meditate the Word of God! Second Corinthians 5:7 tells us that we walk by faith and not by sight! And we learn how to do that by first meditating the Word.
Jesus Meditated the Word
When Jesus walked the earth, He said that He only said what His Father said, and He only did what His Father did (John 12:49, 5:19). So how did He know what His Father said and did? He meditated on the Word of God. He read the Book. He found Himself in the Book (Luke 4:16-19, 24:27-48).
When Kenneth learned to meditate the Word, he did what Jesus did. He found himself in the Book.
Meditating Is Looking
Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh” (NKJV).
Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Where do we find Jesus? In His Word, because He and the Word are one (John 1). They have existed as one since the beginning (John 1). Look to Jesus, the Word says in Hebrews 12:2, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Meditating Is Thinking
Philippians 4:8 instructs us, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things” (NKJV). In other words, think on these things. Think on these things instead of all the thoughts passing through your mind.
You can actually choose what you think! You have the power to think the Word and nothing else. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (NKJV). We change our minds from what we think to what the Bible thinks by looking at it and then thinking on it.
Meditating Is Saying
God created this world with words (Genesis 1). Words primarily release power; and secondarily, communicate. This is why it is so important that we watch what we say, that we speak the Word only. When Jesus went to heal the centurion’s son, the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8, NKJV). This is where we get this principle, but the only way we can speak the Word only, is to have first looked at it and thought about it.
Meditating Is Walking In Faith
Second Corinthians 5:7 reminds us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” To walk in faith, we have to know what faith is. And while faith is a spiritual force given to us by God to use—to bring into this seen earthly realm what is currently not seen in our lives—we have to first find it in the Word of God and then develop it in our lives. We develop it, meaning we feed it and encourage it to grow in us, by meditating the Word—by looking at the Word, thinking on the Word, saying the Word, and then walking in it.
When we walk by faith, we walk trusting God that what His Word says is true—that what His Word says He will do, and it will come to pass!
