Who can Meditate? You can.

When we speak of Meditation, some people immediately dismiss the idea that they are 'qualified' to meditate. They may think that Meditation is for the Spiritual Giants among us: priests or saints, pastors or 'Prayer Warriors.' We rob ourselves of a wonderful spiritual exercise when we believe we aren't "good enough" to meditate.

I think it is wise to approach this Discipline with humility ... but not with a feeling of unworthiness. God desires to commune with you no matter where you are on your spiritual journey: beginner or advanced. It just may be that the beginner has a more profound experience than  those who are 'professionals.' However we do need to believe that we can hear the voice of God. We don't have to go through someone else: we can approach his throne directly. We need only turn our attention to the Father. Richard Foster quotes Thomas Merton in Celebration of Discipline: “This desire to turn is a gift of grace. Anyone who imagines he can simply begin meditating without praying for the desire and the grace to do so, will soon give up." 

Spiritual Meditation is a gift of grace. We can receive it fully and freely if we ask. Yet we hold back, like shy, frightened children. Foster states, "That is why meditation is so threatening to us. It boldly calls us to enter into the living presence of God for ourselves. It tells us that God is speaking in the continuous present and wants to address us."

Will you set aside some time today to begin? Will you still your mind and wait for God to speak? What He tells you may not be earth-shattering. It could be as mundane as "Call your friend Emily" or "Make that appointment to see a doctor." We can't expect states of ecstasy every time. But we can expect to be changed when we put ourselves within hearing distance of God.

We will talk more about how God speaks to us and how we can hear Him more clearly when we discuss the Spiritual Discipline of Prayer next week. Today we can be assured that God desires to communicate with us: the lowly or the great, men or women, rich or poor, young or old. Who can Meditate? You can.