In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.
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Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.
David writes…
Psalm 23:1 NIV
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used.
When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized.
- HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe.
- HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always.
- HE IS Eternally God.
- HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite).
These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.
Jesus said…
John 10:14–15 NIV
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
John 10:27–28 NIV
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
David writes…
Psalm 34:8–10 NIV
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Jesus said…
Matthew 6:32–34 NIV
…Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.
The apostle Paul writes…
Philippians 4:11–13 NIV
…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
You can say quietly: “God is present. He is in this moment with me. And I can trust him as my Good Shepherd.”
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This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.