The Power of Spiritual Thinking
This is Part 3 of a series: Conversing with God through the Bible
After reading, the next step is to really think about what the Bible is saying. This may seem obvious, but there is a difference between letting your mind wander over a few verses or chapters and trying to figure out what it means.
Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon? There are some people who drive up to the edge, jump out of their car, poke around for a few minutes, maybe take a few pictures, and then head off to the gift shop to buy T-shirts or snow globes to take to their friends back home.
There are others who spend an entire day seated quietly away from the noisy tourists, simply watching from their own private spot. That may sound boring, but to some, the Grand Canyon is a place of incredible beauty and power – one quick look isn’t enough. They want to soak it in. And those people will often come back year after year, to sit in that same spot – and every time, they see a different show.
You can think about the Bible in the same way. You can read a sentence or two, quickly decide what they mean and make a mental check next to them, and then head off to the gift shop.
Or, you can spend days and weeks (or even months) meditating on what a particular passage is really talking about – turning it over in your mind, reflecting on it, soaking it in. You can consider what those words mean against the changing backdrop of real life – of your life. You can begin to perceive the importance and subtle meaning of each word that’s found its way from God to you. You can learn to identify the sound of God’s voice as you get to know him better. You can think about them from all sorts of different viewpoints, even putting yourself in the shoes of the characters you’re reading about. You can certainly ask the Author to help you soak it all in: “With your very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you” (Psalm 119). God and his thoughts are so complex, with so many aspects and perspectives, that you can come back to his words again and again.
This way of thinking about the Bible is talked about in a number of places in the Bible. Perhaps the best example can be found in Psalm 1: “You thrill to God’s Word. You chew on it day and night.” It’s not like a meal that you gulp down before you head out the door to do what you really want to do.
This is the five-star meal that you savor – with your mind, your heart, and your soul. It’s the main event, and you have the opportunity to spend hours at the table relishing each bite.
“I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’re done it. I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it… My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous! – insatiable for your nourishing commands….Your words are so choice, so tasty; I prefer them to the best home cooking.” (Psalm 119)
Text taken from the Introduction to THE MESSAGE REMIX: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Copyright 2003 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved. Used with permission of NavPress, a division of The Navigators.
