Bible Meditations

Warm Yourself at the Fires of Meditation

At the Second Church of Odyssey you'll find different ways of expressing your beliefs, finding prayer support or being encouraged through regular devotionals.
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Danadelfos
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Bible Meditations

Post by Danadelfos »

Meditation is important in a world that is restless and stressed out.

Our souls need rest, they need joy, and they need to be fed with the Word. And one of the best ways to feed our souls is with meditation. As we seek to know God and His Word better I think it's helpful to take some time and really meditate on a verse or a few verses. I find less value from trying to read a chapter or two from God's Word, and not remembering anything, in contrast with taking a few moments and meditating on a verse and savoring it throughout the day.

I thought it would be nice to have a place to post our meditations if we have one to encourage others with.

One way that I've been finding helpful is to find a verse that really speaks to me and then take a few moments or even a few minutes and wait on the Holy Spirit to speak to me through that verse. Taking all the thoughts, stress, and worries from the day and setting them aside. Taking the time to read the verses out loud and just letting them sink into my heart and soul. Listening for the Holy Spirit to speak to me through those verses.

I've spent so much of my life stressed out and exhausted I'm just wanting to learn to live in restoration and healing the majority of the time.

To start this thread off, I just wanted to meditate on Psalm 36:9.
For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light. ~ Psalm 36:9
I love mornings. I love sunrises. It reminds me of life and newness. The sun bringing warmth and life to the cold world. The birds with their morning songs. The deer starting to move from where they have bedded down. And Jesus is bringing life to our souls even as the sun brings life to our world. And I desire life. I desire pleasure, and God promises that pleasure. Even as He is saying in the previous verse.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. Psalm 36:8
In Him we have this fountain of life and He gives us His pleasures. There's nothing I desire more than to be filled with life, peace, joy. And even as I live most of my life in the light of the sun, if I live in the light that dwells in the Scriptures and in the face of Jesus I will find that which I desire most. Life. True life.
Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. ~ C.S. Lewis
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Kaida
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Post by Kaida »

Thank you for sharing that Danadelfos. I agree with you. During this time we need to continue in God's Word and constantly feeding ourselves. We have so much time now but somehow I still find ways to be distracted and not get myself into His Word. And unfortunately when I do it is a lot of times like what you said, Danadelfos. I will read a lot and end up forgetting most of it. I do enjoy reading chunks at a time though. It helps me understand the context, but I need to also take the time to ask myself questions, find ways to apply what I'm reading to my life, and find sections to hold on to for meditation.

A couple days ago I was reading in Psalm 108 and verses 1-4 are what called my attention.
My heart is steadfast, O God!
I will sing and make melody with all my being!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
- Psalm 108: 1-4
I wish my heart was steadfast as it says in this verse. It's very easy for me to get distracted and discouraged because of what is going on around us. It's also I think very easy for me and I'm sure others to complain about the state of things. I want to be able to give thanks to God for the things I still have (I have Christ!) and praise him because I know that he still loves his people. He is still faithful to us. So this section was very convicting for me.
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Post by ByeByeBrownie »

Thanks for sharing this, Danadelfos. It is so easy for me to fall into the trap of just reading through a bunch of chapters to cross them off the list, but taking the time to slow down and really meditate on God's word is so crucial, especially in a time like this.

I keep thinking about some verses I read the other day from Psalm 66:11-12:
You brought us into the net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
you let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.
The last line in particular really spoke to me. I think we're all feeling a bit in over our heads in some way or another right now. But none of this overwhelms God. None of this came as a surprise to him. Throughout history, he has placed his people in tough places so that he could bring them out in ways that only he could in order to bring glory to himself. And he will do it gain. And again. And again.
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Danadelfos
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Post by Danadelfos »

Thank you friends for those shares! I really appreciated them!
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm. ~ Psalm 37:7-8
One of the hardest things for me is waiting on the Lord. I forget Him. Even on Monday, when I was really struggling emotionally after a hard conversation at work I just sat in my tiredness for the rest of the day and finally at the end of the day I remembered the Lord and asked Him to take away this emotional burden. And now I'm here feeling much more hopeful.

I love to fret. Whether it's about relationships, or work, or general uncertainty. I really appreciated this verse. Just a reminder that all fretting or worrying does is cause harm. Rather I am going to rest in the Lord and wait patiently.

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04/23/2020
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart ~ Psalm 119:2
To seek God with my whole heart is somewhat foreign to me. To seek God with the whole heart in that I am willing to give up everything for Him is my desire. The story of the rich young ruler always scares me. I am much less righteous than the rich young ruler in that he looked pretty good from the outside, but I also have a fear of losing what I have built or wondering if I can give it all away for Him. As we gain more throughout our lives we have "more to lose" but at the same time everything that we have is from God and He gave it to us and that doesn't mean that the mortal and material is bad. I just want to seek God and know Him and that my belongings or other heart desires won't get in the way of that. There's a verse that stands out to me from Micah 6:8 where it says
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
I just want to walk with God. Rather than hiding from God like our first parents did in the garden and I have done many a time, I want to walk with Him. Not disqualified because of my beastly pride but rather in humility walking with God in the cool of the day.
Last edited by Danadelfos on Thu Apr 23, 2020 8:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. ~ C.S. Lewis
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Kaida
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Post by Kaida »

Thank you, Danadelfos
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 84:11
During one of my church's Bible Study someone brought up that this verse says that God doesn't withhold good things from his people. Just like Romans 8:28 it says that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. God is good. He's not looking to hurt us or bring us down. And while situations around us aren't going the way we want them, we still have to believe that he is good and trust that he is working everything for the good of his people.
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Post by Danadelfos »

Thank you for that Kaida! That really encouraged me!

My meditation is similar today to yesterday. I'm in a place where I want to know His goodness because I've been struggling for the last couple days to experience His joy.
My soul faints for Your salvation, But I hope in Your word. My eyes fail from searching Your word, Saying, “When will You comfort me?” ~ Psalm 119:81-82
I think this happens to me at least once or twice a month and sometimes much more often for a week or weeks at time. I feel no comfort from God. I want his comfort and yet it isn't there. I search God's Word and yet I just find no comfort from it. And yet I know the promises of God. I know He is faithful. I know even His commandments are faithful as David says just 4 verses later.
All Your commandments are faithful; ~ Psalm 119:86a
I need Him to revive me. I can't revive myself. I cry out for God's kindness that springs from His eternal love.
Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, So that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth. ~ Psalm 119:88
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04/27/20
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. ~ Psalm 131:1
God humbles me a lot. He brings me low. My close friends know what a weak man I am. They aren't impressed with me. And yet, even in all that, my heart lifts itself up. It wants to be haughty and filled with pride. I think it's hard because our culture tends to value pride. The human heart is naturally proud and haughty. I want the courage to acknowledge who I really am before the perfect righteousness of God. That my heart would be able to say with the Psalmist my heart is not lifted up.

That my eyes would be as David's where they are not raised too high. I struggle with looking down on others, yet I know who I am. I know that I have nothing to look down on others for and yet my heart deceives me. That I would be like the humble publican and cry out, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

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04/29/20
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
Sometimes I just need to take some time to reflect on God's goodness. He is pure goodness and beauty. I love beautiful things. I love the beauty God has created in this world and universe. Sometimes I just need to take some time and reflect on His goodness. And that's what this Psalm does. We acknowledge the majesty of God. We acknowledge the greatness of His works. We remember that His mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:26
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04/30/20
“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah ~ Psalms 39:4-5
Our lives are short. I only need to look at my hands in order to see the length of my life. God knows how short our lifetimes are. He made it that way.

Take a moment several times today and consider that every person you see is merely a breath. A vapor. Here today and gone tomorrow. That's what Selah means. Take a moment and consider. Like a rainbow, there for a moment after a rainstorm and then gone. This is our lives. Let us spend these moments on that which is worthwhile. That which has eternal value.
Life with God is not immunity from difficulties, but peace in difficulties. ~ C.S. Lewis
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