Real Christians know the experience of forgiveness of sin, the soul and character-changing encounter with the crucifixion, the body and blood of our Lord.

Real Christians know how important, vital, and life-changing prayer is — communion with God Almighty every day.

Real Christians study Scripture, the Bible, Old and New Testaments, to learn, to grow, and to show themselves approved unto God — work men and women who are never ashamed of the Gospel and their incredible spiritual experiences.

Real Christians grow, understand, and are thrilled with the challenges and opportunities of the journey of life.

The Command to Meditate

But even real Christians may not know the necessity or meaning of this extremely important Biblical command:

“I will meditate on Your precepts” (teachings, commandments, laws, and grace, among others).

Of all the Christian verities, the marvelous act of meditation may be the one most misunderstood or neglected. But Psalm 119:15 implores us to never forget to meditate daily — daily! There is no day too busy not to take time to:

Meditate on His precepts.

The Environment for Meditation

Meditation, real meditation, as the process begins, is difficult. For some, it is very difficult. It requires an environment of:

Complete quiet.

Spurgeon urges and indicates that meditation, real meditation, can only occur when one enters the so-called “closet,” where there is complete quiet — perhaps darkness — an environment without distraction, noise, and certainly without other people. It is an environment where one is alone, with only the company of the Holy Spirit and the presence of our Lord. It becomes the perfect quiet time, away from everyone and everything.

Solitude and the Holy Spirit

It is in that precious environment of solitude and silence that every true Christian believer can really hear and absorb the presence of:

The Holy Spirit.

It is only there that this indispensable Christian Helper and Comforter can make His presence known. It is only in that quiet time that real Christian growth and especially understanding of the mysteries of the Gospel can be revealed. It is only there, in the closet, that there can occur the work of the Holy Spirit, which includes:

• Illumination
• Enlightenment
• Instruction
• Interpretation
• Inspiration

Those incredible spiritual experiences can only occur when the believer is completely open, and then the Spirit bears witness. The mind stands still — a tabula rasa readiness — a completely open and empty mind. All worldly thoughts are postponed, the heart opens wide, and the believer signals readiness for the working of the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more difficult, but nothing is more worthwhile — nothing!

Waiting on the Lord

Then one begins the next process — difficult, but necessary and oh-so-valuable — that completely open time when the believer:

Waits on the Lord.

There is no agenda. The believer brings nothing spiritually or mentally into the closet but lays the soul bare before the Lord and waits — waits — on the Lord and the coming of the Holy Spirit. To understand the value, to learn patience, to learn how to wait, to empty the mind, and no matter how intellectual, really learn the deep, mysterious, and incredible truths of the Gospel.

It is a discipline which takes time, practice, and constant experimentation. But no Christian experience is complete unless a believer learns how to practice and derive the benefits of:

Meditation.

And the incredible strengthening process of:

Waiting on the Lord.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

Done right, then comes the work of the Holy Spirit. That work illuminates, educates, instructs, and, perhaps most importantly, interprets and inspires every believer like nothing else can. Meditation is the process of deep and rich:

Spiritual digestion.

The meditation experience alone can produce those rich and vital spiritual vitamins — the most important spiritual digestion of anything in the Christian journey.

The Discipline of Daily Practice

It takes time, quality time, daily time. No day is too busy to set aside time for partnership and the workings of the Holy Spirit in meditation. There is no believer or day that cannot provide:

30 minutes

— or more — of quality time all alone in the closet with the Holy Spirit. If a Christian sincerely wishes to grow in the things of the Gospel and our Lord, the goal should be setting aside that quality time, perhaps a minimum of 30 minutes:

Every day.

Then, a believer can rightly ask, and, in that environment, there comes the Scriptural promise that such asking will be answered:

Ask and you will receive the answers.

The Value of Meditation

Meditation, real meditation, is not easy. It takes practice, time, trial and error, and patience — careful love and patience — in this cell-phone age. But there is no spiritual experience, no Christian experience in the journey of faith, which is more worthwhile or more necessary if one sincerely desires to experience all that our Lord and the Holy Spirit have promised.

As with prayer and thanksgiving, meditation should be an essential part of the Christian journey and experience:

Every day!