Yoga and Meditation

There is a lot of nonsense talked about meditation. I do not mean what it can do for you because that is difficult to prove one way or the other. I have read people saying that they found all sorts of things in meditation and who am I to say that they did not merely because I have not had the exactly same experience.

I believe that there are many stages of evolution and therefore what one person experiences in one way another might experience in a entirely different way.

No, I mean that there is a lot of rubbish talked about how one has to meditate. I am reading an article this moment by someone who says: ‘… for a successful meditation practice, everything has to be perfect ….. the room has to be set up in such a way …’ and so it goes on. The person who wrote that piece appears never to have even thought let alone ever meditated.

Meditation has always been most often carried out by people with a spiritual bent. Of those people, most people who meditated were monks, because they were seeking enlightenment and had the time and tranquility to meditate. It was difficult to find the time or the quietness if you were a subsistence farmer with ten kids running around.

Anyway, lower orders of monks are not famous for living opulent lives where ‘everything … is ideal’. They live quiet lives and when they want to meditate, they will not be disturbed, no matter where they are but particularly in their cells.

My father used to drive out to a cliff top and meditate behind a bush looking out 100 feet over the Bristol Channel. Frequently he did it in the middle of the night.

It is best that the people you live with understand that when you want to meditate that they should endeavor not to make a great deal of noise and certainly not call you by name or barge into the room where you are.

How you can accomplish this in your household, you know better than I, but talking to cohabitants and displaying a sign in a prominent position can help as can always meditating at the same hour of the day, but is not usually practical. Most of us have to take our free time while we can.

Turn off anything that makes a noise. Turn off phones and even the door bell, if you can. Open the window, if it is not unbearably cold or raining cats and dogs. Take a shower and put on loose-fitting comfortable clothes like pyjamas.

Sit on the floor, if you can; cross-legged, if you can. If you are nearly there, try sitting on a cushion or pillow. There are items known as zafu or meditation pillows, which are small and thick.

Some are round and others are square, but a round zafu might be 12 inches in diameter and four to six inches in thickness. This is to raise you off the ground enough to take the strain off your hips and knees, if you are not used to sitting cross-legged.

It will encourage a correct posture, that is a straight back. It is also softer on the behind and when you are sitting comfortably, you may begin.

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Misconception #4: God sometimes forgets or tries to renege on His promises and is depending on pray-ers to remind Him of them.

God does not need to be reminded of His promises. He made promises and bound Himself to us in a blood-sealed covenant so that we would know exactly what we could expect from Him. The purpose of His promises is to give us confidence and peace. Instead, sometimes we pray as if we are responsible for finding the scriptural promise that can be construed as guaranteeing the outcome we have prescribed, then taking that promise to God to hold Him to His Word.

This kind of pray-er treats God’s Word as if it is a catalog. He decides what God should do, looks through the Bible to find a verse that will match his plan, and orders it. In doing so, as in catalog shopping, the pray-er skims over everything that holds no appeal. He picks and chooses.

Remember, Scripture is not Gods words; it is God’s Word. Scripture is a whole and cannot be cut apart and pasted together to match my agenda. His Word is not a catalog. It is His promise in writing.

When we approach prayer this way–as if God might try to get out of meeting our need, but since we have His promise, we can hold Him to it–once again, energy is spent in the wrong direction. What a burden it is for me to search the scripture and find exactly the right verse to bring to God’s attention. Instead, as I turn my heart and my mind toward Him, He reminds me of His promises. He reminds me of what I can count on. The promises are not for me to use in getting my way with God, but they are for God to use to inspire faith and confidence within me.

I know there are sentences in Scripture which some have interpreted to mean that we are to remind God of His promises. For example, “Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Ps 119:49-50). This word translated “remember” means to put a mark on something so you can find it again. In our day, it would be like to highlight text on a page. Make it stand out. Emphasize it. Certainly David was not fearful that God had forgotten His word.

Now let’s look at a n incident in which it appears that the petitioner was reminding God of His promises. Right now, read 2 Chronicles 20:1-29 and take note of Jehoshophat’s prayer. Notice that it sounds as if he is reminding God.

Let’s dissect that some. Jehoshaphat came before the Lord to inquire of Him and to seek help from Him. The promises of God and the past faithfulness of the Lord began to fill Jehoshaphat’s mind. What sounded like the petitioner reminding God, was really God reminding the petitioner. Notice who Jehoshaphat’s faith and boldness grew with each declaration of God’s promises. God was building a foothold for his faith.

God is watching over His word to see that it is carried out, according to Jeremiah 1:12. Every word He has spoken and every promise He has made live forever and are settled in the heavens. Rather than working to find a promise of which you can “remind” God, instead be still and let God remind you.

(Adapted from Live a Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean. Used by permission.)

A popular conference speaker, author, radio host and teacher, Jennifer is nationally recognized as an expert on the topic of prayer. Her desire to challenge people to live a praying life exudes onto the pages of her books and through the airwaves of her podcast, webcast and radio show. Jennifer believes a successful, powerful Christian life has its roots in a life of prayer. She challenges believers to grow past packaged, formula prayers and instead live in a continual state of openness to the power and provision of God.

Dean’s knowledge of prayer topics, pleasurable personality and skilled use of language make her a favorite at conferences and retreats. She communicates God’s Word in ways that are spiritually relevant and intellectually understandable–endearing her to Christians everywhere who have previously been bogged down with unsatisfactory prayer lives. As founder of The Praying Life Foundation, Dean has purposed to provide sound teaching and biblical resources to churches and individuals who are serious about living a life of prayer. Her book, Heart’s Cry is the National Day of Prayer signature book.

For more information regarding scheduling an interview or speaking engagement with Jennifer, please contact Kathy Carlton Willis at willisway@aol.com