Psalm 119:15
I will meditate on you precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

The word “meditate” can be a bit scary. It can conjure up images of false religions, new age philosophies, and other harmful pursuits. While meditation can certainly be misused, it can also be used in a good and proper way, and can be a great help to us.

At issue is the object, or focus, of our meditation. Many false teachings suggest meditation as a way to clear your thoughts or empty your mind, and then to focus on your self, your dreams, and your needs. A biblical approach to meditation would not be emptying our minds, but instead filling them with thoughts of God and his Word.

This is why Scripture urges us to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” [Colossians 3:2] and to think over what the Bible says “for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” [2 Timothy 2:7]. We are to think about things that are excellent [Philippians 4:8-9] and love the Lord with all our minds [Matthew 22:37].

So meditation is not the clearing of our minds, but the purposeful focusing of them. We don’t seek to think of nothing, but of nothing other than Christ. We fix our minds on the grace of God the Father, the love of God the Son, and the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit. What better thoughts are there than those of the rich mercy of God and “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” [Ephesians 1:13]?