Meditation: Thinking about Thinking

by Jared Johnson

🧘‍♂️ 

I use that emoji often enough it has a regular place in the frequently-used section of my phone’s text keyboard. (I send it to say “take a breath,” “pause a moment,” etc.)

It’s easy to default to thinking “Eastern,” monotone chants, closed eyes, etc., when we hear “meditate;” emojis, by definition and design, communicate what our culture feels, assumes and propagates. 

Meditation is probably one of those disciplines about which it’s easy to think “I’m terrible” / “I don’t do that” while, in fact, we’re actually quite accomplished meditators, even without knowing it. We just need to think about it through the lens of spiritual discipline. 

As I thought about, well, thinking, to write this I was reminded of a comment by Dallas Willard in Divine Conspiracy. I only have an audio version of that book so I can’t go back to look for and give you a specific page/quote, but I recall his discussion of “bringing before the mind” different topics/concepts/ideas. In his discussion of what we bring before our minds he also referenced a 20th Century Christian (don’t remember the guy’s name) who was known for turning his attention, deliberately, every hour and, if I remember right, every minute, at least for a moment, toward Jesus. That Christian predecessor was exceedingly deliberate about what/whom he gave his attention to – he thought very hard about what he thought about, and he took action to shape his thought life. When I set a countdown timer on my phone I can immediately restart it; maybe you and I could do a repeating countdown timer some day this week to turn our attention to Jesus every hour / every minute / whatever timeframe works for you.

We always have something before our minds. It might be food, a driver in traffic near us, that one specific tool/bolt/part we need from a hardware store, a foreboding and looming school project for one of the kids, a bill that either just got paid or still needs paid, the Bible in front of us during devotional time – anything. But really, we always have something before our minds. What’s on your mind or mine might be externally or internally driven (something demanded of us or something we’re proactively tackling). 

Whatever’s before my mind is what I’m meditating on. God’s Word is never overtly specific about exactly how we carry God’s image (“Imago Dei”), but I’m convinced part of His image in us is our ability to think, especially to think in “meta levels.” That is, we can think about what we’re thinking about (a’la Isaiah 55.8 when God made an objective-perspective, evaluative statement regarding the quality of His thoughts when He told Isaiah “…my thoughts aren’t like your thoughts”). We’re constantly churning thoughts through our minds, hopefully “taking every thought captive” and “fix[ing] our thoughts” on various good things (Col 3.2, Phil 4.8). Deliberately practicing how we direct/focus those thoughts is a key part of meditating. 

If I stew and seethe about a social slight, I’m meditating on anger and pride. If I toy with temptation (food, chemical, lust, etc.), I’m meditating on that temptation. Obviously, it shouldn’t have to be asked but here I go: should we be meditating on God’s perfect Words or on temptations, anger, self? About what do I think? On what do I meditate? When the Bible mentions meditation, or outright tells us to do so, it’s always in such a “bring to and keep before the mind” kind of context. 

Meditation, especially that distinct word, doesn’t show up much in the Bible but it’s there, of course. There are only 14 uses of our English “meditate” in NLT, 23 in NASB. None of those references are even in the New Testament, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. 

In Colossians 3.2, Paul told his readers to “set your minds” on heaven’s realities, on God’s Kingdom and Throne, on what transcends this world. That comment’s Greek word, “phroneo,” isn’t translated as “meditate” but my goodness it communicates "bringing before the mind,” pondering, stewing mentally on something, “ruminating” as was illustrated last week, etc. Its listed definitions are “I think, I judge, I direct my mind to, I seek for, I observe, I care for” (https://biblehub.com/greek/5426.htm).  

Here's a link to every New Testament use of “phroneo.” https://biblehub.com/greek/strongs_5426.htm   

And here are a few verses worth highlighting as we think about how we think; bold words below are English translations of Greek’s “phroneo.” 

1. Jesus turned around and looked at his disciples, then reprimanded Peter. “Get away from me, Satan!” he said. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” (Mark 8.33)  

2. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. (Rom 8.5)   

3. I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. (Gal 5.10)   

4. Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. … You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. (Phil 2.2, 5)  

5. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Col 3.2)

Remember that all those references are to a word that means, among other related concepts, “I direct my mind to.” We can sabotage ourselves and direct our minds to what’s sinful and indulgent (Romans 8.5), to what’s untrue (Galatians 5.10), or to what’s simply opposed to God Almighty (Mark 8.33). We can, conversely, direct our minds to what’s God-honoring and godly (Colossians 3.2), what’s beautiful and good in so many ways (Philippians 4.8, though it doesn’t use “phroneo”). In perhaps one of the more surprising references about directing my mind, I can even direct my mental life toward what we typically think of as emotional – relational harmony and agreement – though Paul, inspired by God’s Spirit, upends that understanding when he said we need to direct our minds toward “one-mindedness” and a self-opinion that reminds people of Jesus (Philippians 2).  

Ultimately, I control my mind’s “front door.” Paul directly told Christians “Don’t stifle the Holy Spirit” (1 Thes 5.19). His job – I argue it’s His one or at least primary job – is convincing me that living my own way is wrong, God is right, and that He and I will square accounts one day (paraphrase John 16.8). That description of conviction is highly mental, not emotionally warm-fuzzy nor miracle-y / signs-and-wonders-y. If He’s whispering in my ear and I stifle – I mentally set aside and ignore – His work, I’m choosing to meditate on what He doesn’t want me to ponder.  

Let’s – you and I – bring Jesus to our minds this week and ask Him to have a seat and stay a while.

🧘