Area Two: Meditation or “Meditatio”

MEDITATION: To prepare for today’s meditation, slow down in silence or soft breath prayers as you did yesterday. Then review the reading and the words of reflection you wrote down. If you skipped yesterday, start there so the devotional time will make sense.

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Journal Prompt:
My Word(s) of Reflection (copied from yesterday):

PART TWO, MEDITATION: Repeat that word or phrase that caught your attention, thinking about them in the presence of God – with God. The repetition focuses attention and permits a deepening of awareness. Pay attention to images, shapes, concepts, even colors or textures that occur as you pray. Notice associations and memories that rise within you, note how this passage is touching you today. If you get distracted, simply return to the word or phrase that initially captured you. If a thought is something you need to remember, jot it down, then return to your meditation.

Journal Prompt:
My notes about images, shapes, concepts, colors, textures, memories, and associations:

Because Wednesday is generally our Identity in Christ day, let’s add an identity statement relating to the reading we are focusing on:

In Christ we are treasured by God who gave His only Son in death that we might not perish but have life through eternity.

Prayer

Father God, thank You for treasuring us as people to be included in Your kingdom – in Your joy. Let Your Holy Spirit produce in us the foundational fruit of love, joy, and peace as we are rooted in Your Word, learning to meditate on it day and night as Psalm 1 teaches us. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Micro-Meditation

Psalm 32:2

Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Teaching or Command of God:

Hebrews 3:13

Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Pondering Point

Do an inventory of your spirit with the Holy Spirit: Do you find any deceit? If not, rejoice in the work of the Lord. If so, pray for God to remove all deceit as you live under His grace and extend that grace to others.

In a week of encouraging quieting before engaging Lectio Divina, here is an introduction to the Foundational Five skills of Quieting:

Relational Skill #2, Quiet Habit Builder:
Simple quiet is a purposeful pause, when we seek a moment to catch our breath within a relational dynamic. Quieting is when we can look away to recover from the energetic stimulation we experienced in relationship.

You can learn more at https://thrivetoday.org/foundational5/.