I've mentioned a handy, dandy little tool for meditating on scripture most every time I've talked about it this past year, and yet I've neglected to ever really provide all the how to's for this particular tip. So today we're going out of this world with an extraterrestrial sort of meditation method.
Now before you think I've flipped my lid and gone all new age on you, let me explain.
When I teach gals to meditate on Scripture so that they might feed their hungry souls with the bread of life, I teach them to spend time with it, chew on it, swallow it, etc. Still, the whole meditation thing is quite foreign to most of us and we need all the practical how to's we can get in this area. A number of years ago I came across this handy little acronym that gives you some mighty creative ways to ponder the scriptures.
S.P.A.C.E. P.E.T.S.
It's not enough to simply say that we need to "spend time" with a scripture passage or verse. The common question would be, "What exactly am I going to spend time doing with it?" I need some ways to chew it--some questions to ask about it.
When you happen upon a scripture that resonates with you, jumps off the page at you, ask the following questions as you ponder the verse:
- S - Is there a Sin I need to confess?
- P - Is there a Promise to claim?
- A - Is there an Attitude to change?
- C - Is there a Command from God that I need to keep?
- E - Is there an Example in this passage that I need to follow? (e.g., Paul is rejoicing in prison, Daniel is deferring all the glory to God, Joseph is forgiving his brothers, Mary is submitting herself to God's purposes even though she can't understand them.)
- P - Is there a Prayer here that I need to pray?
- E - Do I see an Error I need to avoid? (e.g., Joseph is bragging to his brothers, Samson is fooling around with temptation, David has failed to turn away from temptation, Martha is getting distracted with the urgent.)
- T - Is there a Truth I need to accept by faith and walk in?
- S - Is there Something for which I need to thank God?
Sometimes I hear people say that there are portions of the Scriptures that just really aren't worth spending much time on. But actually, even the tabernacle design plans, the genealogies, the divvying out of the Promised Land, and the blessings and cursings of the Old Testament offer good eating...if you know how to get your fork and knife out and cut it up right. Sometimes we just have to ask the right questions.
So today as you eat from the Word of God (and I hope you're eating several hearty meals!), try eating it with some SPACE PETS. Simply take the passage you're focusing on and slowly and deliberately ask the SPACE PETS questions of it. And if the answers to any of the questions are yes, then take the time to "swallow" that scripture by confessing that sin, claiming that promise, asking God to help you change that attitude, recommitting to following that command, or heeding that example. Or maybe you'll swallow it by praying a scriptural prayer, opening your eyes wide to a potential error, accepting by faith a difficult truth, or thanking God for that special something.
Let me know what you think about this "out-of-this-world" method for meditating on Scripture. Have you ever done anything like this before? Tell us about it. We'd love to know how you go about feasting on the Word of God so that it satisfies your soul like nothing else this world has to offer!
