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Stated simply, prayer is when we talk to God; meditation is when God talks to us.
Let’s take a look at each of these propositions in order to understand their relationship to each other and their importance in our relationship with
God.
Prayer is probably the more familiar of the two. From childhood we are taught rote prayers to say in various situations, such as mealtime or bedtime. Nearly everyone can quote at least part of the 23rd Psalm or “The Lord’s Prayer.” These scriptures give us concrete patterns to follow as we learn to fashion our own prayers. Certainly any Psalm or other scripture that voices your thoughts is useful when learning to pray until you can comfortably express your heart to Abba, Father.
David praised, pleaded, repented and rejoiced in his prayers. Jesus prayed so earnestly and in such anguish on the Mount of Olives that he sweated drops like blood. Even when we do not know what we should pray, the Holy Spirit steps in for us and prays with “groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26).
Clearly, God wants to hear from us. He desires a close communion with us. Prayer can make the sick well. Prayer can forgive sins (James 5:16). God gave us prayer so that we would seek Him, reach out for Him and realize He is not far from us. (Acts 17:27).
Any occasion is the right occasion for prayer (Eph. 6:18). Prayer allows us to approach the throne of God with assurance. We know that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we ask of Him (I John 5:14-15).
Prayer is used in our personal, private worship, but it is also an integral part of public worship. This is one way that prayer is different from meditation. Meditation must be done individually. God, being omniscient and omnipotent, is always ready to hear from us. We are so easily distracted that we must take time out and put forth effort in order to hear from God through meditating on His word.
As often as God spoke to people in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, there really were not that many people who had the amazing privilege
of hearing God speak directly or through an angelic messenger. Most believers in Bible times had to do what you and I must do today; take time to focus, concentrate or reflect on spiritual thoughts and questions through the practice of meditation. It is during meditation that our minds are most discerning and receptive as we consider God‘s will.
Unfortunately, most Christians don’t really take time to meditate or even have an understanding of how to begin. Many think that only yoga instructors or Buddhist monks use meditation. Truthfully we would all benefit in more ways than one if we would take the time to learn and practice Christ-centered meditation.
If you know how to worry, then you can learn how to meditate. Worry is meditating negatively. We need to learn to meditate in a positive way. One way to practice meditation is to sit quietly for 5 minutes while concentrating on the in-and-out flow of your breath. You may focus your vision on a particular object or, if that is distracting, close your eyes. If your mind wanders from your breathing, just acknowledge that you lost focus and re-focus until your time is up.
After a few sessions of just breathing you can begin to add minutes to your time and allow yourself to concentrate on a single thought or idea. Many find it helpful to recite that thought audibly in order to unite body and mind and keep from wandering. Don’t worry, this does not mean assuming a full lotus position and making strange humming sounds! A repeated word, sound or phrase can facilitate concentration. I have found it beneficial as a beginner to repeat such majestic words as “Peace” or “Joy”. Other suggestions include, “Jesus is Lord”, “God is Love”, or abbreviated scriptures such as “He is the Rock, His works are perfect” or “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad.”
Using these simple techniques, you can work your way up to 10-20 minutes of deliberate reflection on a specific spiritual truth or mystery. When you
finish, you may or may not have come to some new realization. You may not have uncovered the mystery of life. However, you will find that when you complete your time of meditation, you will feel more relaxed and refreshed than if you had taken a nap! It is amazing to me how God takes care of us in ways we don’t even realize. Recent scientific studies have shown that meditation reduces stress, improves well-being and boosts immune function. God planned it that way from the beginning.
Prayer and meditation are different and yet they go hand in hand to build and strengthen our relationship with God our Father. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus . . . so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12: 2,3). “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8).
Lee Burdett is an alumnus of the Auburn Christian Student Center’s campus ministry program (Auburn University), and the Meridian Woods (then Call Street) church of Christ campus ministry (Florida State University) where she met her husband. Currently she lives in Altamonte Springs, FL and enjoys staying at home with her two small children. The family worships with the West Orange church of Christ.
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