If you saw the words “Christian” and “meditation” in the same title and weren’t exactly sure how to feel… you are exactly the person I was hoping this article would find.
We live in a noisy and fast-paced world with full schedules and packed calendars, but little room for meaningful times of stillness and silence. We are so busy, always moving and going and doing. Even if we do have a bit of downtime, we typically fill it with noise and activities such as watching television, scrolling on our phones, or playing music.
We rarely truly embrace silence. And it shows.
The breakneck speed of modern life coupled with a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a never-ending torrent of polarizing current events have led to an overwhelming increase in stress and anxiety in the last few years. According to the 2024 American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll, 43% of adults say they feel more anxious now than they did last year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.
People are looking for peace, desperate for relief from the overwhelming stress and anxiety that seems to plague our culture. It’s no wonder meditation has become increasingly popular. After all, it is a practice that is backed by research and has been shown to improve brain health and overall well-being, with benefits that include reducing stress, improving sleep, and decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
In recent years, the CDC has called meditation “the fastest growing health trend,” and a National Health Interview Survey revealed that the percentage of adults who practiced meditation more than doubled from 2002 to 2022, and those numbers are still rising.
There are meditation studios popping up within bustling cities, meditative retreats that offer an escape from the noisy modern world, and countless meditation apps that promise peace at our fingertips. Meditation has become somewhat chic and trendy—more like a stylish form of self-care than a spiritual practice for soul care.
Because of its growing popularity as a mainstream practice as well as the stereotypes that suggest it’s simply an Earth-worshiping activity rooted in Buddhism, meditation as a whole has taken on quite a few negative connotations within some Christian circles. Many Christians are quite leery of meditation, viewing it as a new-age, pagan practice that should be avoided.
But the truth is, that meditation has been a part of the Christian faith for centuries. So when we question whether or not Christians should meditate, it’s important to understand what meditation is and what it means from a Christian perspective.
Meditation as a general practice involves mental and physical techniques that train the mind to intentionally focus one’s thoughts and to be fully present in the moment. There are many forms of meditation around the world, practiced for a variety of purposes. What separates Christian meditation from other meditative practices is the focus of our meditation.
Christian meditation is focused on the Word of God and is a means of communion with Christ. While other forms of meditation involve attempting to empty the mind or looking within self to find peace, Christian meditation is about filling the mind with the Word of God and looking to God, not inside ourselves, for peace.
Meditation is a classical spiritual discipline that is rooted deeply in the Bible and in ancient Christian practice. Throughout Scripture, time and time again, we are directly instructed to meditate on God’s Word—to focus our thoughts on it and to contemplate the Word in a way that causes it to sink deep into our hearts and take root in our souls, changing us from the inside out:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” | Joshua 1:8
“Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” | Psalm 1:1–2
“May the words of my heart and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” | Psalm 19:14
For a Christian, meditation is not only an acceptable practice but a holy habit that plays an important role in our spiritual growth.
Christian meditation involves silence and stillness, prayer and contemplation, with an intentional and focused attention on Scripture. Meditation gives us the silent space to quiet the noise around us and within us so we can tune our hearts to really hear His Word.
Meditation helps us cultivate the quiet art of hearing with the heart. When we learn to still our minds and meditate on God’s Word, we begin to open the ears of our hearts to hear the still small voice of the Lord. In this place we can find peace for our souls as we rest in the truth of His Word, the hope of His promises, and the security of His unending love.
Anyone can meditate, and it doesn’t require any special training or supplies. Simply slow down, be still, quiet the noise around you and within you, and focus on the present moment and the presence of God with you in this moment. Turn and return your mind to His Word as you pray and listen to Him.
The hardest part about meditation is probably just the slowing down. We are so prone to busyness, so pressured to hurry. But we were not made to move at these breakneck speeds. Our lives are not designed to be lived in a distracted flurry of stress and worry. God created us to need times of quiet and stillness with Him. He made us to flourish when we’re abiding and resting in Him. Meditation fosters this holy practice of abiding and is a way to-
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” | Colossians 3:16
And the thing is, meditation really works. When practiced regularly, it has a multitude of benefits for your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It can reduce stress, increase emotional regulation, decrease blood pressure, and improve sleep; it increases compassion toward yourself and others, decreases negative thoughts and cultivates the fruit of the Spirit in your life.
Personally, meditation has been an anchor for me through the hardest storms, keeping me securely attached to Christ even in the midst of the most challenging circumstances. The truth is, I’ve been weathering a deeply difficult storm for a few years now, and I’ve personally experienced the soul-deep peace that comes from intentional times of stillness with God and meditating on His Word.
To be honest, there have been many moments on this journey when I focused on the struggles and the pain and all the hard things—hospitalizations and extended treatment programs, overwhelming medical bills and painful setbacks, unplanned pregnancy and life-altering changes—I have often been overwhelmed by circumstances that I never would have chosen, paths I never wanted to walk, and a life story that didn’t go at all the way I had dreamed or planned.
The storms of the last few years have made it difficult for me to focus on God and on His presence with me. He’s felt silent and distant, and my faith has been shaky and unsure. My anxiety and fear were so loud and overwhelming, and the chaos that surrounded me made it hard to see the way through.
But cultivating a rhythm meditation in my days has given me a meaningful way to shift the focus of my thoughts away from ruminating on all that is wrong and toward the One who is holding me through it all.
Meditation didn’t clear away the storms or change my circumstances. The chaos still swirls around me, the hard things are still hard and the path ahead is still unclear. But times of meditation give me the strength to remain in the storms, helping me to shift the way I respond to the hard things and helping me experience peace- in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty.
Whether you’re in the middle of your own personal storm, or you’re just feeling exhausted and worn down from the relentless pace of life, I invite you to give this practice a try. Take a few minutes to slow your pace, quiet the noise, and allow the Holy Spirit to transform your thoughts and renew your mind through the practice of Christian meditation.
Meditation is slow and quiet work that anchors us in Christ and deepens the roots of our faith. If our roots are strong, the winds of worry won’t uproot us, and the storms of anxiety won’t wash us away. If we’re deeply rooted, we may bend in the wind, but we won’t break easily. When seasons and circumstances change, bringing droughts of discouragement or floods of suffering with them, we can remain anchored and secure, weathering any storm that might come.
Jenn is the author of Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul and Present in Prayer: A Guided Invitation to Peace Through Biblical Meditation. To find more details on how to purchase your copy or to see some of Jenn’s writing and art, tap HERE.
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- Should Christians Meditate? - November 7, 2024