Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. - Knowing God, J. I. Packer (Kindle version)
Meditation as Packer stated prior to this quote is a lost art within the Christian life. It is rightly linked with prayer, because if our minds are not filled with the loftiness of God and with riches of His Word about Himself, then what are our prayers anchored in? We first must fill our minds with the loftiness of God, and not just a head knowledge. We also need to allow the Truth to penetrate the heart. For the effects of this endeavor will be a hundred fold. It will bare before us our little finite state compared to the grandeur of such a great God. Also much like Isaiah when when we meditate upon the God of Scripture, we will cry, "Woe, I am completely sinful in all that I do compared to this glorious and great God." Yet, in turn this brings about encouragement and comfort, because though we alone standing before God are nothing but sin, when we begin to "contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ" our entire world will be turned upside down. Could it be that we do not want to be confronted by such a state in which there is no way of escape unless we fix our eyes upon the Cross of Christ and rest in His arms alone. Meditation will naturally lead to prayer which will in turn lead to praise to God for His Glory and unmatched grace and mercy.
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