In the sermon on Sunday, I advocated meditating on Scripture throughout the day as taught in Psalm 1. I mentioned my meditating on four words in Psalm 23:1 throughout one night— “Yahweh is my shepherd.” It occurred to me that some might wonder what that even means. “Do you just say those four words over and over?!” So I wanted to give a brief description of a method I use to meditate. I hope you find it helpful.
Christian meditation is not like other kinds of meditation where one empties the mind of everything, which might happen if we simply repeated a set of words over and over like a mantra. Rather, in biblical meditation we seek to fill our minds with godly thoughts from the Word. In the case of the first four words of Psalm 23, my goal is to plumb the depths of its meaning and think of as many implications/applications as I can.
There are numerous ways to do this, but one of the simplest is to think through each word and the role it plays in the sentence or passage. (This assumes I understand the passage and have rightly interpreted the verse in question. Psalm 23 is quite straightforward and so this method is feasible. The same method might be more cumbersome with something like Revelation 17:6.)
I usually first pray that the Holy Spirit will help me by guiding my thoughts/meditation (John 16:13). In this case, I started with the last word in the phrase and worked my way backward. The following is a brief representation of some of my thoughts:
Yahweh is my shepherd. By His grace, He called me, I knew His voice, and I followed Him (John 10:3). He knows my name. He is a good shepherd who goes before me and lays down His life for me (John 10:4, 11). When I stray, He brings me back (Isa 53:6). When I’m threatened, He protects (Psa 23:4). When I sleep, He watches over me (Psa 121:4). Though I am loath to feed myself, He makes me lie down in green pastures (Psa 23:2). Though I am ever fearful, He leads me beside still waters (Psa 23:2). He is gentle and lowly, making every provision for my care (Matt 11:29-30; Psa 23:1).
Yahweh is my shepherd. He is not far away, an object of my envy; but His own blood has brought me near (Eph 2:11-13). He is not tentatively or temporarily mine; rather, His own Spirit resides inside me as a seal of permanency (Eph 1:13-14). Further, His being mine is a function of my being His; I’ve been given to Him by the Father, and He’ll never let me go (John 6:37; 10:27-29). He will never leave me, nor let me leave Him (Matt 28:20; Rom 8:35-29; Heb 13:5).
Yahweh is my shepherd. It is not merely that He was at one time my shepherd, for even now He watches and serves me (Heb 7:25). Nor is it that He is my shepherd only in my best moments, for He is mine by grace through faith, not according to works (Eph 2:8-9). Nor is it that He is my shepherd only in my worst moments, for even my good works are gifts of His hand (Eph 2:10). Nor is that He will be my shepherd if certain conditions are met by me, for all the conditions necessary for our eternal bond have been met by Him (Heb 10:10-14). In all seasons of my faith, in all conditions of my soul, high and low, rich and poor, He is and always will be my shepherd.
Yahweh is my shepherd. Not money, home, or creature comforts (Matt 6:19-20). Not health, talents, education, planning, or study (Rom 8:20-23). Not my wife, friends, family; not my critics, nor my admirers (Prov 29:25). Not my hobbies, diversions, or legitimate temporal joys (1 Tim 6:17). None of these things watch over me, guide me, sustain me, protect me, or restore my soul. Rather, Yahweh is my shepherd and does these things. Yahweh, the Creator God in the person of His Son, the Good Shepherd, whose Spirit is so close as to reside in me (John 1:3; 14:17). All-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present (Eph 3:20-21; Col 2:3; Psa 139:7-10). Merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Exo 34:6; Psa 86:15).
As I mentioned on Sunday, this line of meditation led me naturally to think and feel the next line of Psalm 23:1, “I shall not want.” A valuable next step would be to then walk through the present issues of my life and the lives of those around me and look at them through the lens of this meditation.
“Yahweh is my shepherd. If I believe that, what will I think, feel, do in this situation?”
“Yahweh is my shepherd. If I believe that, what will I think, feel, do in this situation?”
The more Scripture we have hidden in our hearts the more valuable this practice will be. Memorization makes meditation possible no matter where we are or what we are doing. It also enables on-the-go cross-referencing that will make our meditation even richer.
I hope this has been helpful to you. Blessings!
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