For many years I have at least occasionally memorized Scriptures and meditated on them some. And I begin my daily devotional time by praying over life verses that God has pressed on me. But I have recently discovered a type of meditation that has surprised me by how much it has blessed me. I have written a series of poems through the Gospel of John. I put those poems on my phone between the scripture verses I pray over each day.
I have repeatedly been overwhelmed by God speaking to me through these poems. I am not sure why this is so. It probably should not surprise me. I have known for years that poetry written by parishioners is used in worship in much of the world, from house churches in China and Central Asia to youth services in Eastern Europe and South America. Of course all of these poems that I am using are written on specific scripture. And I wrote them on insights I got from meditating.
Here is one written on a familiar verse. This is how the poems appear in the book with lines to make notes from meditation on the scripture before you read the poem and then after. I am aware that meditation or anything that takes time may be alien to our fast paced societies. But I urge you to give it a try. I am convinced you will find it more rewarding than you ever dreamed
CONTINUING IN MY WORD
John 8:31 & 32
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
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If you continue in my perfect word
Hearing with all the hunger of your heart;
If you receive it like a baby bird
Straining to take nourishment from the start,
Being faithful in your daily reading
Every nuance and instruction heeding;
If upon its meaning you meditate,
Soaking up every heaven given thought,
And on each tiny truth you ruminate,
Knowing every word is divinely wrought,
Every hunger in your soul exceeding
As continually your heart is feeding;
If my words you continue to obey
Living out every loving thing you've heard,
And in my daily fellowship you stay,
So you are saturated by my word,
Bearing fruit your growing faith is seeding
Holy truth in every garden breeding;
Then you will come to know and understand
All that you longed for, but you couldn’t be.
Then all the chains that bind the mind of man
Will be broken, and the truth will set you free,
Every blinding prejudice conceding
As in His conquering train He's leading.
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I know that God can speak to others in these poems just as He speaks to me. People have told me that He has done so by the few poems I have made available. However I have begun to wonder if there is not something to meditating on poems you write yourself. Most of you may be convinced that you could never write a poem. And I may well be overstepping my bounds by suggesting that you try. But if you have written a poem by meditating on a scripture until God speaks to you, He will speak to you again and again and more and more as you meditate on the poem.
