The Meditation of One Word by Holly D. Sands

I have always read the Bible pretty methodically from the time I was born-again. Every year I set myself up on a rigid reading schedule and I have disciplined myself to read through the whole Bible every single year since. I would encourage every Christian to do this. However, there's another way to sit with a verse from Scripture that most don't consider: slowing down enough to think on every single word.

The Hebrew word for "meditate" in Psalm 1:2 and Joshua 1:8 is hagah (הָגָה) and it doesn't mean sitting cross-legged, emptying your mind and humming. I know a lot of people have explained this Hebrew word by using the illustration of a cow chewing it's cud. However, at its root, hagah means to mutter, growl, or moan; it's a low, repeated sound. It's the same word used for a dove's low moaning cry (Isaiah 38:14, 59:11) and for a lion growling low over its prey (Isaiah 31:4). In other words, when the Bible talks about meditation, it references a word/phrase spoken slowly and repeatedly, low under your breath. 

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night." - Psalm 1:2

We delight in God's Word, by dwelling in it. 

The Technique

Here's the simplest way I know to actually do this: take one short verse or phrase, and read it through multiple times, stressing a different word each time. Ask yourself what changes about the meaning, or what question that word raises, before you move to the next one.

Let's use Ephesians 6:10:

"...be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

Walk through it like this:

• BE strong in the Lord and in the power of His might: This isn't a suggestion. It's a command. Am I actually obeying it, or just nodding along?

• Be STRONG in the Lord: not partially weak. What does real strength look like here? 

• Be strong IN the Lord: not in my own willpower, my own resolve, my own grit. Where am I actually trying to be strong? 

• Be strong in THE Lord and in the power of His might: There is only one Lord. I am not it. 

• Be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might: He is my Lord. If He commands me to be strong, then I can be strong - but not apart from Him.

• Be strong in the Lord AND in the power of His might: It's not "be strong in the Lord" or "be strong in His power." They're the same reality stated twice. Am I trying to split that, taking the relationship without the power, or the power without the relationship?

• Be strong in the Lord and IN the power of His might: Not near His power, not around it - in it. That's the same preposition as "in the Lord." I'm meant to be as immersed in His power as I am in Him.

• Be strong in the Lord and in THE power of His might: Not a power, one option among several - the power. Specific. Singular. Is there some other power I'm quietly leaning on instead? My competence, my reputation, my ability to manage things?

• Be strong in the Lord and in the POWER of His might: Actual strength that does something. Am I asking for a pep talk when what's offered is power?

• Be strong in the Lord and in the power OF His might: This power has a source. It belongs to His might specifically. It didn't originate with me and it isn't mine to run out of.

• Be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS might: Whose strength is on the table here? Not mine, however many times I try to sneak it back in.

• Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His MIGHT: Paul doesn't just say 'power,' he stacks it with 'might' right after. Two words for strength, back to back, on purpose. What am I facing that actually calls for that?

• BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT! Say the whole verse loudly. Now saying the whole verse doesn't sound the same to you as it once did. It's not a phrase you've heard a hundred times anymore. 

Notice: you're not looking up ten commentaries or trying to extract some hidden meaning nobody's ever seen. You're just letting the verse ask you questions instead of the other way around.

A Few Practical Notes

Pick short verses or phrases. This doesn't work well with a whole chapter. One verse, sometimes even just half a verse, is plenty.

Say it out loud, or at least mouth it. Hagah has that muttering, growling quality to it - it's not a silent, in-your-head exercise. There's something different about hearing your own voice say the word you're stressing versus just thinking it.

Don't rush to the "application" step. Let the questions sit before you answer them. Some of them won't have a tidy answer, and that's fine.

Journal it if that helps you. Writing out what each stressed word stirred up keeps you from drifting off.

It will feel slow and even awkward at first. That's normal. We're trained to consume information quickly. This is the opposite of that on purpose.

Why Bother

Stressing each word one at a time forces you to actually reckon with what's being said instead of gliding past it.

Try it this week with a verse you think you already know. You might be surprised what you've been skimming past.

About the Author

Holly D. Sands has walked with Christ since 1983. She writes at He Is My Song, sharing encouragement and admonition from Scripture with women pursuing Him more deeply. She lives in South Carolina, where she and her husband, Shane Sands, are members of Poplar Springs Baptist Church. Shane's been called by God as an evangelist and leads United in Christ Jesus ministry. At home, they're joined by their idiot cat, Mister Bojangles, whose main contribution to the household is sleeping and eating treats.