Curious about Christian meditation? Listen in to learn the differences between Eastern and Christian meditation and how to cultivate peace in your life with a guided Christian meditation resource.

219: Is Christian Meditation Biblical? How Is Christian Meditation Different from Eastern Meditation?

Ready to learn more about Christian meditation after last week's episode? Today let’s discover how to use guided Christian meditation to help us find calm in our everyday lives. Listen in as I share six different scriptures on meditation that can help realign our thoughts and emotions with God’s truth, how Christian meditation emphasizes God and the Holy Spirit, and why giving ourselves space is needed to hear from God. 

Also, check out my brand new resource, Christian Meditations for Daily Calm, which I created specifically to help you refresh your mind with God’s peace and renew your confidence when life feels overwhelming –in only a few minutes!

Curious about Christian meditation? Listen in to learn the differences between Eastern and Christian meditation and how to cultivate peace in your life with a guided Christian meditation resource.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

  • [01:42] How to use meditation & visualization to connect to the peace and calm of Christ
  • [02:45] The purpose of Christian meditation
  • [05:18] The difference between Lectio Divina and Christian meditation
  • [07:12] Truths about the blessings of meditation
  • [16:42] The 3 biggest differences between Christian meditation and Eastern/New Age meditation
  • [20:51] The purpose of “Christian Meditations for Daily Calm” and an inside look at what’s included

[01:42] Using meditation & visualization to connect to the peace and calm of Christ

When we’re stressed, knowing who we are in Christ and knowing His power is what gives us the ability to stand strong. It seems like every day there are reasons for us to doubt who we are, to feel like we’re not enough, and to feel that we aren’t loved even though we know the truth.

This is why we created the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm resource. All of these meditations are based on your identity of who you are in Christ. They are a very practical and easy way to get those truths into our minds when we need the peace and calm of Christ. And these biblical truths come alive in a new way when we add in other tools like visualization, which are also included in our new resource.

[02:45] Is Christian Meditation Biblical (it’s an important question)?

I know many of you are curious about Christian meditation, asking yourself questions like: “Is this okay?” “Can we really practice meditation  as Christians?” I love that we’re asking these important questions because it means that we care about what we do with our bodies and our minds. We understand that we are made in the image of Christ, that we are called to worship God with our entire body, soul, mind, and strength. We want to make sure that everything we do honors God. This is why I wanted to discuss what the Bible says about meditation in this episode. 

But first, what is Christian meditation? Christian meditation is a practice of contemplation and reflection on God’s Word and His character. It involves focusing our thoughts, minds, and beings on God and filling ourselves up with His spirit in order to realign our souls with His peace, wisdom, and the Holy Spirit itself.

Meditation can be something that is standalone, meaning something you do once a day or once a week. It can be something that you do in your car before you get to work or it can accompany your Bible time. The great thing about adding Christian meditation into your life is that it’s flexible and you can apply it to your life as it fits. The purpose of Christian meditation is stress relief, finding calm, realigning our thoughts and emotions with God’s truth, cultivating a deeper relationship with God, and immersing our entire being in biblical concepts. It has been an important part of our faith journey with God since the earliest days of the church. 

In a future episode, we will be going into the science behind meditation and how it affects our brain & body. 

[05:18] The difference between Lectio Divina and Christian Meditation

In the 6th century, Saint Benedict popularized Lectio Divina which is Latin for “Divine Reading.” Christian meditation is similar to this but it’s more open in its structure. Christian meditation also includes things like breathwork, visualization, or affirmations, which are all based on Bible verses inside of our new resource, Christian Meditations for Daily Calm. Christian meditation has been around for a long time and is a very important part of our faith because it brings in spiritual discipline like silence and contemplation.

We need space to hear from God and meditation is a great way to calm our soul enough to hear from him.

[07:12] 6 biblical truths about the blessings of meditation

I am sure there are more than 6 truths but I wanted to share these and some Scriptures to go along with these reasonings. The first one is that meditating on God is how we flourish in all ways. Psalm 1:1-3 talks about a tree flourishing next to a river bank. The reason that this tree flourishes is because it’s connected to the source and has everything it needs. In this Scripture, we learn that meditating on God’s Word has the same effect on us as humans. So what a powerful way to continue to get that nourishment from God. 

Meditation can also be a way that we worship and adore God. Psalm 48:9 says “O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your temple.” Sometimes we need space to hear and receive truth from God instead of letting it quickly bounce off of us. We need to process and experience what something truly means to then apply it. Meditating on a certain concept brings life to our souls.

The third truth is that meditation keeps us focused on God’s past mighty deeds. Psalm 145:4-6 reminds us that our mind changes, our circumstance changes, and our entire outlook changes when we change what we focus our minds on. And when we can focus our minds on the majestic glorious splendor of God and the wonderful miracles that he’s done, doesn't that give us hope? Meditation can really change how we look at difficult times, and meditating on God’s mighty deeds allows us to remember the faithful God that we’re coming to with our problems,  giving us the chance to reflect and notice that He helped us before and He’ll find a way to help us again. 

Meditating on God’s promises is how we stay strong and courageous. After Moses passed away, this was one of the commands that God gave Joshua when he was to lead the Israelites. In Joshua 1:6-8 he talked about meditating on God’s Word, studying it, and getting His truth inside your heart. This is a powerful reference on the importance of studying the Bible. In life, you are going to come upon hard situations, and you need to have courage. You need to have studied God’s Word in order to stand strong in those seasons. Meditation is a chance to let our minds be reinforced and strengthened by the reality of who God is because we all need strength and courage.

Meditating on God’s truth also brings peace to our minds. Two verses that demonstrate this are Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:8-9. These give us examples of what it means to welcome in God’s peace. Giving our worries to God, letting Him know what we’re walking through, how we are worried and upset, and then thanking Him for His presence. Meditation is a very powerful way to think on the truth and fill ourselves with His peace and presence. 

[16:42] The 3 biggest differences between Christian meditation and Eastern/New Age meditation

There are 3 big differences between Christian and Eastern meditation: what we are focusing on in the meditation, the source of the truth, and the purpose of the meditation.

The first difference highlights a very important question: What are we focusing on in the meditation? With this, the biggest difference is that with Christian meditation we are focusing on God, His Word, and His truth as the source of wisdom. When it comes to the practice of Eastern meditation (also known as New Age meditation), people are looking for enlightenment from within. They are emptying their minds and looking for an altered state of consciousness and inner wisdom. 

The second biggest difference between Christian and Eastern meditation is the source of truth. For Christian meditation, the Word of God and Scripture is truth and our guiding light. In Eastern meditation, there are various sources such as mystical, personal insights, and spiritual philosophies. 

The third difference deals with the purpose of the meditation. Christian meditation is about deepening our relationship with God, realigning our thoughts with His truth, experiencing His presence in our life, and welcoming His peace so we can get clarity and hear the Holy Spirit more clearly. It’s all about letting our minds be aligned and be a living sacrifice as it says in Romans 12:1. With Eastern meditation, the purpose is self-improvement, spiritual enlightenment, and seeking a spiritual experience. It's about going inward, not about going deeper with God.

I hope you understand that Christian meditation is definitely from the Lord. This is a practice that the church has been practicing for centuries and it can be an incredible way to connect with God and feel refreshed by the truth of the Scriptures.

Overall, I think the biggest difference between Christian meditation and Eastern meditation is that with Christian meditation we are emphasizing the Holy Spirit, God, and His ways. In Eastern meditation, it’s about emptying out and an outside search.

[20:51] God is the Focus of the  “Christian Meditations for Daily Calm”!

Christ is the entire focus of our new resource Christian Meditations for Daily Calm. The purpose of these meditations is to find peace, connect with God, and let Him refresh our spirit. When life feels chaotic and our thoughts are racing, we need Bible verses and God’s truth to focus on to get into a calmer space. That’s exactly what we do in these Christian meditations!

If you’ve ever wondered what it's like to have that kind of focus in meditation or to be able to meditate in a way that is honoring to God, this powerful resource will help you. This is something practical that you can do every day, and it takes around 4 minutes!

Within this resource, there are 30 meditations based on different topics. Each topic is designed to be a starting point of where you might be feeling that day, such as:

Day 16: When you're choosing to trust in God and not man.

Day 22: When you're ready to dwell on God's forgiveness, love, and mercy for you.

Day 23: When you need the reminder that you've been chosen by God for a beautiful purpose. 

Each of these has Bible verses attached to them and they help you dwell on the reality of those promises so you can find the peace and comfort you're looking for. You can go in order from day one to day 30 or you can pick and choose based on what you feel you need for the day.

After deciding which approach works best for you, you’ll be led through a time of relaxation and breathing, giving you a chance to visualize your statement for the day. Your visualization may look like walking through a garden and experiencing different aspects of that verse with Jesus, or sitting beside a calm ocean and feeling the consistency of God as the waves go in and out. Each meditation has a unique and beautiful visualization. 

There is both an audio and video version of the meditations. If you’re able, I highly recommend watching the video. You'll hear my voice leading us through the meditation and will have the opportunity to see videos of nature, other women relaxing, and images of home, serenity, and beauty. The imagery is vivid and you’re able to see what we're personifying through the conversation of the meditation itself. 

At the end, there are affirmation cards that you can print out for reference, such as “You are his beloved child.” Imagine stopping and sitting in that truth and how it could change your reality today. For me, I found that Christian Meditations for Daily Calm radically changes my reality because it gets me out of the chaos in my head and reminds me of the powerful truth of God. 

In next week’s episode, we will be diving into the science behind Christian meditation and how it can help you manage stress. I can’t wait to discuss that with you deeper!

RESOURCES:

Christian Meditations for Daily Calm

OTHER RELATED EPISODES:

218: New Christian Meditations for Calm! 3.5 Minutes to Refresh Your Mind with God's Peace 

Need a simple, biblical way to manage overwhelm + stress?

We know God offers peace, but…it's so hard to quiet our racing thoughts when life is chaotic.

Here's the great news: Christian meditation is a scientifically proven tool to soothe the nerves + connect with God to restore the soul.

Learn how to tap into God's peace in minutes with the Christian Meditations for Daily Calm: 30 meditation videos on Bible verses to refresh your mind + dwell in God's peace when life is stressful.

Get access to these Christian meditations now and enjoy this practical way to lower stress! 

GET CHRISTIAN MEDITATIONS FOR DAILY CALM