What is meditation?

The following content is an excerpt from Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster (pp. 17-18, 24-25).

Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word. It is that simple. I wish I could make it more complicated for those who like things difficult. It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric fights into the cosmic consciousness. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things, desires our fellowship. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve talked with God and God talked with them-- they were in communion. Then came the Fall, and in an important sense there was a rupture of the sense of perpetual communion, for Adam and Eve hid from God. But God continued to reach out to his rebellious children, and in stories of persons such as Cain, Abel, Noah, and Abraham we see God speaking and acting, teaching and guiding.

What we see over and over again is God's people learning to live on the basis of hearing God's voice and obeying His word. This, in brief, forms the biblical foundation for meditation, and the wonderful news is that Jesus has not stopped acting or speaking.

Human beings seem to have a perpetual tendency to have somebody else talk to God for them. We are content to have the message second-hand... Such an approach saves us from the need to change, for to be in the presence of God is to change. We do not need to observe Western culture very closely to realize that it is captivated by the religion of the mediator.

That is why meditation is so threatening to us. It boldly calls us to enter into the living presence of God for ourselves. It tells us that God is speaking in the continuous present and wants to address us. Jesus and the New Testament writers clearly state that this is not just for religious professionals-- the priests-- but for everyone.

How do we receive the desire to hear his voice? "The desire is a gift of grace. Anyone who imagines he can simply begin meditating without praying for the desire and grace to do so, will soon give up. But the desire to meditate, and the grace to begin meditating, should be taken as an implicit promise of further graces."

Seeking and receiving that gift of grace is the only thing that will keep moving us forward on the inward journey. And as Albert the Great says, "The contemplation of the saints is fired by the love of the one contemplated: that is, God."

By taking the Draw Near initiative, we encourage you to read further material on how to prepare to meditate, forms of meditation, and its misconceptions by referring to Chapter 2 Foster's Celebration of Discipline. You can buy his book at a local bookstore or online.