My happy place is the world of ideas—gaining understanding, seeing connections, and exchanging discoveries with others.

But knowledge by itself is not the prize. It becomes precious when it shapes how we engage the world and illuminates what actions truly matter. The real question is: How do we move from information, to knowledge, to wisdom, and then to action?

One pathway is the Christian tradition of devotionals. A devotional offers a passage of Scripture, some reflections, probing questions, and often a simple call to action, closing with prayer or blessing.

Over the coming months, I want to try my hand at writing devotionals that weave together ideas I’m wrestling with, questions for the heart, and small next steps. Please know: I’m not preaching at you—I’m mostly preaching at myself.

Power of Biblical Meditation

Years ago there was a study done at Dallas Theological Seminary by Dr Paul Meier. Meier administered the MPPI on a large body of the students and staff. He was looking to correlate a balanced score on MPPI with some aspect of a life of faith. At first he was disappointed. Time someone had been a Christian made no difference, nor did many other factors he thought would be revealed. He had almost concluded there were no correlation, when he found one.

People who meditated daily on the scripture for three or more years scored significantly above their peers when controlling all the other variables. 

This study was summarized in the book Renewing Your Mind in a Secular World edited by John Woodbridge, is summarized in a blog post A Highly Motivating and Not-Often Considered Reason to Read and Meditate on Scripture Regularly

Scriptural meditation transforming someone’s mental health over time  makes sense. Paul wrote:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind – Romans 12:2, ESV

The verb “be transformed” (Greek: metamorphoō) suggests a deep, ongoing change. It is not an overnight event but a lifelong unfolding.

What is Biblical Medication

Biblical meditation differs from both casual reading and from purely intellectual study. The Psalmist declares, “Blessed is the man… his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2). To meditate (hagah) is to murmur, to repeat, to chew over words until they seep into one’s soul.

This “slow digestion” of God’s Word allows the Spirit to bypass old, unhealthy thought patterns and establish new ones. Over time, people who meditate find their anger softening, their fears easing, and their relationships changing—not because they memorized rules, but because their hearts were reoriented.

Calls To Meditation

Paul wrote to the Galatians, “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). James reminds us that “the implanted word… is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). Notice the imagery: the Word must be planted, nurtured, and given time to bear fruit. Similarly, Jesus in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–20) explained that the Word must sink deep into good soil before it can produce a harvest. This planting and growing takes years. 

Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, echoes this truth: meditation and spiritual formation are cumulative. They grow by daily practices that seem small but accumulate into a life reshaped by God. Dallas Willard, in Renovation of the Heart, likewise describes how Scripture, when internalized, forms the habits of Christlikeness over time.  James Wilder discussed in Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms how as embodied creatures we need to be “re-wired” to God’s truth… merely trying to “think right” will never work

Practical Steps Toward Meditation

If you want to “roll your own” I would suggest you start by selecting a short passage to reflect on which you want to inform and direct your life.  Say  Philippians 4:4–9

1. Read Slowly – Read it aloud, slowly, several times.
2. Reflect Personally – Ask: What does this reveal about God? What does it reveal about me?
3. Pray Conversationally – Turn the words into prayer. For example, “Lord, teach me not to be anxious, but to bring everything to you.”
4. Apply Specifically – Identify one small, real-life way to live the text today.
5. Repeat Faithfully – Return to the same passage for days or weeks, allowing its meaning to deepen.

See Also

• Improve the human condition? Start with the mind and spirit
• Model of Maturity
• Posts with a Devotion tag.
• Biblical Meditation  and God’s Call to Christlikeness  articles on bible.org

Lord, give me a heart that delights in Your Word. Teach me to pause, to listen, and to meditate until Your truth reshapes me from the inside out. Plant Your Word deeply in me, and let it bear fruit in love, wisdom, and action. Amen.