By Ruby Andrew (Guest Writer)
Christian meditation is the act of reading a scripture, meditating or thinking on the words of that scripture and listening to Gods answers. Many Priests over the past few centuries have been using this form of praying to be closer with God. God wants us to think about his words and reflect on them and one way to do this is to meditate.
Here are some ways to prepare for Christian Meditation.
Read scripture or the Lectio Stage
The Lectio stage is the reading stage of Christian Meditation. When you read scripture you are setting the scene for your meditation. During the lectio state you select specific scriptures that reflect the purpose and meaning that you’d like to cultivate in your heart. You can extend the stage by continuing to read the scriptures that you have chosen throughout the day. This could be once in the morning, once in the mid-day, and once in the night.
The Meditation or Meditatio stage
The Meditatio stage is the meditation stage. During this stage you sit still without moving and ponder the words that you have read and think on their meaning. A good question to ask God is, “Lord, how I can incorporate your Word in my life.” Think about specific activities you can do today that will reflect the words you just meditated on.
The Prayer or Oratio Stage
This stage is the Oratio stage and in this stage you pray on the words, any problems of the day, and ask God for guidance. Prayer is a healthy way of releasing stress especially when you’re upset or drained and need a pick me up. During this stage of Christian Meditation you are utilizing the time to pray for things needed and things that have blessed you.
The Contemplation or Contemplatio stage
Contemplatio simply means rest, so you are now going to rest in the presence of God. The Bible tells us that in God’s presence in fullness of joy. Taking time to rest in the presence of God and give glory to Him and in presence in your life helps us to keep our mind on Christ. Remember, if God is for us, He is more than the whole world against us. As you rest, also contemplate on the words and ask God to hide them in your heart.
Medical Guidance
One way to prepare for Christian Meditation is to study the Bible frequently. This will help keep the words fresh in your mind at all time. These are both excellent ways to receive the preparation you need to follow through with the meditation process, or as some like to call it the Lectio Divina, which it has been called since the Fourth Century AD.
Ruby Andrew lives in Bristol, UK and is an avid reader and blogger. Since her early years she’s had a passion for writing. Her articles have been published in leading UK newspapers. Her areas of interest are food, reviews (Book/Movie), Travel, Fashion, Lifestyle, Fitness and Health. If you are interested in a European Health Card, visit EHIC . She works as a guest blogger on her chosen areas of interest and currently writes on behalf of EHIC. Amen.
Thank you so much for posting this article! I have heard of contemplative prayer, but didn’t understand how to achieve it. (I am a Protestant.) The 3 stages before the contemplative stage makes more sense to me now.