Meditate on God’s Attributes and Works: Week of August 22
What?
Write down one true thing about God every day and meditate on this attribute or work of God.
Why?
Often without our being aware, images and songs, symbols and speeches, and the habits and patterns of our life dance before our imagination, shaping us to place ourselves at the center of our universe, the power that can create our own reality, that can shape our own destiny. But we make poor gods. And so we must fill our imagination with visions of the true God revealed in the pages of Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ. By setting our minds on him, we begin to counter the self-centeredness of our culture and to turn our focus — and ultimately our trust and hopes — to him.
How?
The most effective way to do this (so that we do not simply write down what we think is true about God but what is actually true about him) is to pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal himself to you through the Word. Then, as you read Scripture, be sensitive to what the Lord says about himself. Does the passage of Scripture you choose to read state an explicit attribute of God? If not, ask questions like: What kind of promises does he make or fulfill? What does he desire for his people? How does he respond to the faithful? The unfaithful? Are there particular images or metaphors used to describe him?
(You can also consider this list of characteristics of God with brief definitions and corresponding Scriptures.)
As the Lord reveals himself in his Word, allow your imagination to marinade in that particular attribute or work. There isn’t one specific way to do this, but here are a few things to consider:
Envision God with that attribute. Really picture him as loving or almighty or eternal.
Consider other Scriptures that speak of that attribute. Does anything else that you have heard or read about that aspect of God come to mind?
Ask yourself what it really means that God is X. Think through the implications. Ask, “If God is X, then…”
Think about how that attribute is expressed throughout Scripture. How has it been expressed in your life?
What affections fill you as you ponder upon God? Why is that? Sit on these things.
Think about the things you tend to make god. How do they stack up?
If we are called to godliness, how does your life compare?
How would your life change if you really believed that God was truly merciful, just, or all-wise?
You might make a resolution to do something in particular to bring your life into line with the truth you are meditating upon.
Pray a prayer of praise or thankfulness, or confess the ways in which you neglect or turn from God.
If you find that your mind wanders, do not worry about it. Simply acknowledge that your mind has wandered then turn back to filling your mind with truth about God.
