Have you ever watched a cow eat? The longer you watch, the more entertained you are. She bends her neck to the ground, grabs a clump of grass or hay, uses her tongue to position the food in her mouth, and starts chewing in a motion that is as much “round and round” as it is “up and down.”

Then, after a long time of chewing, you think she’s finally finished. She pauses for a bit, but then starts chewing again.

Part of a cow’s digestive process involves the cow chewing, swallowing, then bringing everything back up to chew some more. This process, called “chewing the cud,” may repeat itself several times before it’s all said and done.

Can you imagine if humans were designed that way? Picture prom night with your girlfriend, when your stomach decides to bring back the pizza you had for lunch. (No goodnight kiss for you!)

The biblical concept of meditation is very similar to a cow’s digestive process. When you approach the Word of God, your goal should not be to merely “read it,” but to “meditate on it.” In other words, instead of seeing how many chapters you can cover in one sitting, it would be better to see how deep you can go on one particular thought or truth.

Make it a point to identify a verse or a concept from Scripture early in the day, then spend the rest of the day bringing it back up and chewing on it some more. Dig into the context of the passage of Scripture, look up the cross-references provided in your Bible, sing worship songs that are focused on that same theme. This is part of the process of meditation.

A mentor of mine when I was younger told me, “Meditation has three steps: memorize, visualize, and personalize.”

One thing is true – meditation on God’s Word will bring stability, fruitfulness, refreshment, and prosperity to your life.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

‭‭Psalm ‭1:2-3‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Meditation is not a foreign concept to us. We meditate all the time! Worry is a form of meditation on the cares and concerns around us. Anger is a form of meditation on bitterness and unforgiveness. Lust is a form of meditation on a fleshly, forbidden desire.

What would happen, then, if we began to meditate on God’s promises, on His provision, on His blessings, on His prophetic declarations?

Today, let’s choose to meditate on God’s Word and allow Him to renew our minds!

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