How to Meditate in Prayer to God

Doing our devotion or having our time with God often comes in praying and reading His Word. We find a quiet and tranquil place where we can focus or concentrate on God, and there we read His Word and pray to Him. We can pray for the personal prayer points we want to pray to God. But also, by just reading God’s Word, we can pray regarding the scriptures we just read.

Father in heaven, may Your Word that I read as I do my devotion time with you not only be something that I read but also that I would meditate in mind and prayer. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What Does the Bible Say about Meditation?

When we talk about meditation, the first verse that would probably come to the mind of Christians is (Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.), where God commands Joshua and Israel to be strong and courageous and always to keep His law on their lips and meditate on it day and night so that they may be careful to do everything that is on it. Indeed, if they, and also us, always want to keep God’s laws or word, we have to read it to know it and meditate on it so that it would always be on our minds that we may keep it as we live each day.

Whenever the Bible mentions meditation, it is not about sitting down and trying to empty your mind. It is the opposite. It is all about thinking and filling your mind with God’s Word. A similar analogy could be an experience called the “last song syndrome.” After listening to really good or unique music, you can’t help but continue singing it because after listening to the music, you can’t get it out of your mind. The same concept applies to God’s Word. As we read God’s Word, we are to always think about it so that as we live our lives, we may be able not to sing it but do it because it is what we always meditate on.

Meditating on God’s Word is essential for our Christian lives. In Psalms 1:1-2, we are taught that a blessed man does walk in the counsel of the wicked but one who delights in God’s law or word and meditates on them day and night. In (Psalms 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.), the psalmist says that he has kept God’s Word in his heart so that he may not sin against God. It shows us the importance of reading and memorizing God’s Word. Last, in Psalms 119:105, it is written that God’s Word is the lamp to our feet. If His Word is our lamp as we walk through our journey in life, surely we will always want to bring it with us. We do so by meditating on His Word.

How Do We Pray What We Meditate?

We pray to God regarding the scriptures we read. With that, we can pray three prayer points to God, which are all connected. First, we can thank God for the truth or insight that He has given us as we read His Word. Whatever we have got during our Bible reading, God opened our eyes to the wondrous things of His law (Psalms 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.). Second is by simply talking to God about it. Here, it is completely up to you. You can tell God how the scripture/s spoke to you and how the Holy Spirit convicted you. You can tell Him which part was hard for you to understand and follow. God is your heavenly Father, you can talk to Him whatever it is that you want to talk about regarding the passage, but with reverence, of course. Third, you pray and ask God for the grace and strength to obey His Word and apply it in your life.

Let’s say the example is the verse in Joshua 1:8; here is how you can pray for it:

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding me to constantly meditate on Your Word day and night so that I may do everything. Reading the passage a while ago has somehow convicted me. It showed me the importance of reading and meditating on Your Word. Give me the grace, Father, to apply it in my life. Meditating on Your Word day and night shall be a reality when You look into my life. Help me always fight for my Bible reading time and continually ponder the truths I get from it. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The gist of everything is that we pray to God regarding the scriptures we have read and ask Him for the grace to be hearers and doers of the Word (James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.). We meditate on God’s Word and pray about it because, as Christians, we desire that His Word, in which we abide, will be a reality in our lives. They won’t only be truths that remain in our heads but also truths that translate to practical application.