Week 03 - Meditation

Okay, here is the summary for Chapter 2:

In the midst of our hectic lives we need to make time to retreat to a place of solitude and meditate. Meditation is simply hearing God's voice and obeying his word. We meditate in order to develop a familiar friendship with God. When we place ourselves in God's presence and interact with him with frequency we will find it difficult not to be inwardly transformed.

Generally speaking, there are four misconceptions concerning meditation. The first is that it has in common the final goal of detachment associated with Eastern religions. In reality, while we do detach ourselves from the confusion of the world around us, the final goal of meditation is attachment to God. The second misconception is that meditation is complicated when in reality it is very simple and natural. Fear of becoming a rigid, unhealthy, otherworldly, self-righteous person is one of the great fears associated with meditation. However, in reality, it is the one thing that can bring us to deal with life successfully. The final misconception is that meditation is simply psychological manipulation. If meditation were totally a human experience this would be true; however, meditation is a divine-human encounter.

As believers, we are called to communicate directly to God without the need for a human mediator. We are urged to hear the voice of God. This is an experience not isolated to the Old Testament believers but to all who know Christ and Teacher and Prophet.

Foster suggests that the imagination is exceedingly useful in meditation as it allows us to picture what God is doing, what he can do, what he has done, who he is, etc. He does caution however that the imagination like all our other faculties is corrupt and distorted. Having said that, he still trusts that God is able to redeem our imagination and use it for his purposes.

No one can learn how to meditate from a book. However, Foster offers some practical suggestions to help facilitate meditation. Keep in mind that just because we follow his suggestions does not mean we are actually meditating. Meditation occurs when we hear and obey God.

The first suggestion he makes is to set apart a time to meditate. Though we do this, realize that meditation is an unceasing activity throughout the day that prevents us from getting caught up in the franticness of life and encourages us to pace ourselves and enjoy the beauty around us. The second suggestion is to find a place for meditation that is free from distractions and that facilitates encountering God. The third suggestion he has is to find a posture that is comfortable and not distracting. Remember that however we choose to meditate that the goal is an encounter with God.

Foster suggests four forms of meditation that can aid us in our experience of God. The first if the reading of scripture. Not in an analytical or studious fashion. Rather in a personal and experiential manner in which we place ourselves in the setting of the passage. To get the full affect of a passage it is suggested we use the same small passage for a whole week. Our goal is not so much to understand the intricacies of the passage as to be transformed by it.

The second form of meditation suggested is the releasing of our concerns and anxieties to God. Naming them and asking God for grace and guidance. Having done this, sit in complete silence for a long while and listen for the voice of of God. If it comes, good. If not, good.

The third form suggestion is to meditate upon creation, to appreciate the beauty around us.

The fourth form is to observe the current state of events in our world, asking God for guidance to understand what he is doing and what we can do to transform a rotting world.

Do not be discouraged if your first meditation experiences seem rather dry and empty. This kind of experience will take time as it is something wholly foreign to us. Be encouraged as the goal of this task, when achieved, is an encounter with and transformation by God.

Peace.