Why Should I Meditate on Scripture?

The sliver of moonlight penetrating a thin gap between the slightly short blackout curtains on my bedroom window grew more intense as drawn-out minutes of sleeplessness turned into hours. I lay wide awake—yet again—trying to focus on anything but the sensation of my rapidly beating heart, the dread-filled worries weighing heavily on my chest, and that ever-brightening moonlight filling the room. 

Was it a full moon taunting my insomnia? Or had my eyes adjusted so well to the dark, they considered the tiny intrusion of moonlight to be a wake-up call? Either way, I had a sinking feeling I was not going to fall asleep anytime soon. 

Nights like this, unfortunately, became routine as I battled chronic physical anxiety symptoms for the first time 12 years ago. Back then, I couldn’t control how my body felt from day to day, sometimes minute to minute, but I knew I could control where I put my mind’s attention. I had memorized plenty of scriptures to recite in prayer to combat anxious thoughts, however, I wasn’t always soothed into a peaceful slumber. 

Whether you’ve grown up in the Christian church or are new to the faith, you’ve likely heard that you should read, study, memorize, and meditate on God’s Word. However, you might wonder what it looks like to meditate on scripture, and why it’s just as important as reading, studying, or memorizing key passages. 

We live in a culture that gives a starkly different definition for the practice of meditation than what was described by biblical authors like King David, author of many Psalms that refer to it. Meditating on God’s Word is emphasized throughout scripture, and it always means an active engagement and exercise of the mind to enhance our understanding of God’s word and its application—not disengagement or emptying the mind.

When I was struggling with anxiety-induced insomnia, my Christian counselor recommended I try reciting Psalm 23—a six-verse chapter I had memorized years before—more thoughtfully when I struggled to sleep. She suggested taking one verse at a time and putting an emphasis (reflective pause) on just one word each time I made my way through the passage, then repeating the verse with an emphasis on the next word, then the next.

This exercise helped me contemplate each verse more carefully and consider the weight of each word in conveying the overall message. For example, “the Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1a) is more than a figurative description when you consider that the (the one and only) LORD (Jehovah, the proper name of the one true God) is (yesterday, today, and forever) my (personal, intimate) shepherd (keeper and protector who tends to my provision). What a powerful statement it becomes!

Psalm 23 became a source of deeper peace, taking my focus off the troubling physical symptoms I was fighting and steadying my spirit with the powerful truths packed into each verse. Though the valley I was experiencing felt extremely dark and desperate, Psalm 23 reassured me that I could rest in the care of my Good Shepherd, who was leading me, providing for me, sustaining me, protecting me, and walking with me through it all.

Friend, I know what it’s like to hope and pray that reciting a few key Bible verses will finally silence an unrelenting storm of anxious thoughts. What the psalmist described in Psalm 119:148 makes me think he was also familiar with this struggle. However, he turned his focus to the benefit of being awake through “the night watches”—the opportunity to meditate on God’s word.

However, meditating on scripture should not be another grab for control over our circumstances, it’s an act of release. It’s not a prescription for physical peace (or sleep) but a way to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s work so we can be transformed from within and experience God’s peace. 

The prophet Isaiah wrote: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). It’s important to read, study, and memorize scripture, but let’s also make time to meditate on it, contemplate its meaning, and keep our minds fixed on His truth so that we can experience His peace, which is a reflection of our trust in Him despite difficult circumstances.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Did you learn to memorize scripture as a child? If so, do you still recall key verses when they apply to current circumstances?

2. Do you currently try to memorize scripture, or do you struggle with scripture memorization?

3. Do you have a favorite method to help you not just memorize but meditate on God’s word, such as listening to songs with scripture in them, displaying art with key verses to prompt you, or another practice that helps you actively engage in contemplating scripture?