Food for Thought: Prayer and Meditation
by Ardith Hoff
The difference between prayer and meditation is that prayer is us talking to God, and meditation is allowing God to “speak” to us. We can talk to God any time and he always hears us. On the other hand, when God talks to us we have to listen and discern His message. There in lies the problem! We might think we are listening, but for some reason, we do not always “hear” and understand. So, what is the correct way to listen and know for sure how God wants us to respond?
When we think of meditation, we might picture people sitting in those uncomfortable looking cross-legged positions listening to a guru or humming “Ohm” for hours. For some people, that might be their version of meditating. What I’m talking about here does not require that kind of ritual. It simply requires an open mind and a sincere desire to know God's will. Meditation is an attitude, not a performance.
Meditation, no matter how you practice it, does not require a blank mind as some might think, but does require deep concentration and focus. If we concentrate on God, rather than on our problems, we start to see the world through His eyes rather than our own. If we begin by thanking Him for all that He has done for us, we will have begun our conversation with God, by praising him and acknowledging His presence in our lives. We have made ourselves ready to receive what he has to offer us next, rather than asking Him to fulfill our desires. Yes, we can bring our specific problems to Him, but we don’t need to tell him how we want Him to fix them. We want to learn how He plans to help us deal with them.
If we are open to God’s wise and all-knowing counsel, we will be ready to allow Him to guide our actions and to choose the outcomes that are best for us. The power of prayer that leads to meditation is that we can take courage knowing that God is in charge, and no matter what happens, that He will use everything for good.
“Those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.” Isaiah 40:31 Such is the peace, power and inspiration that result from meditation.