from the mouth into the mind and down into the heart, where
through quiet rumination—regurgitation, if you will—it produces
in the person praying a loving, faith-filled response.^1The more we allow the beauty and truth of God’s Word to circu-
late in our spirits and through our minds—the more we chew the
cud of his wisdom, so to speak—the richer the finished product in
our lives.
When I meditate on God’s Word, first I ask him to lead me to a
particular passage. Many times this happens quite naturally as I am
reading the Word. A passage of Scripture seems to draw my atten-
tion almost as though God was highlighting it.
Once I am at that stopping place, I will write the standout phrase
or passage at the top of my journal page and ask the Holy Spirit to
teach me what he would have me know. I underline significant
words in the passage and then for a time I rest in God’s presence.
What is he saying to me? Why has he brought me to this place?
What is his message? I write it all down.
Beside each significant word I might write other related words
that have a particular meaning for me. I might jot down a question
or a short thought related to the word or passage. During the week
I try to spend quiet times of reflection on these thoughts, not leav-
ing the passage until it has yielded for me the spiritual food that God
intended.
I found one such example in a journal entry dated August 30,
- I had been struggling with what focus my ministry should
take: songwriting, speaking, or writing books? I meditated silently
on Proverbs 3:5–6. “Trust in the LORDwith all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make your paths straight.”
I then wrote out a paraphrase of those verses in my journal: “Lord,
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