Posted: 10/21/2013 at 1:37pm | IP Logged

"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice." Psalm 63:5-7

In this classic Psalm, David teaches us a method to calm the screaming soul and find satisfaction even in the most critical circumstances. What is the method? Meditation.

It's important to know that David was in the wilderness running for his life when he wrote this. He wasn't meditating on his kingly bed with servants tending to his every need. He was in a tough time. Nevertheless, he meditated on God; therefore, he could worship instead of weep. As we meditate on God, we will too.

Stayed On You

There are many methods of meditation used around the world, yet David knew that he would be blessed if he meditated on the Word of God. David delighted in the law of the Lord (see Psalm 1:1-2). The Hebrew word for meditation used here is hagah (Strong's #1897) and it not just a mental exercise. Hagah means: to reflect, to ponder, to muse.

However, it also means: to mutter, to moan, or to make a soft sound, to speak. From this understanding came a specialized type of Jewish prayer called "davening" where you abandon outside distractions and quietly repeat Scripture in a soft, droning sound while rocking back and forth, getting lost in communion with God.

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

In the midst of trials, one of the things we must do is stop and see where our mind is focused. The enemy of our soul would love for us to continue looking at our circumstance; however, that will not provide us the perfect peace and soul satisfaction we are desperate for. I'm not saying it's easy; in fact the harder the trial, the harder it is to get your mind off of it. However, on the flip side, the harder the trial the more critical it is to get your mind focused on God.

Let's take a look at what it means Biblically to "stay our mind" okay? This is so cool because the word translated as "mind" is not the typical Hebrew word used for mind. It's interesting to note that the Hebrew word for "mind" here is yetser (pronounced yay'-tser, Strong's #3336). The root of this word speaks of forming and fashioning, even squeezing something into shape.

We see the word first in Genesis 2:7 as the Lord "formed" man out of the dust...or in Hebrew, the Lord yester man out of the dust. Through this example, we can see that it takes a conscious effort on our behalf – even "squeezing" our thoughts to be stayed on God.

Now let's look at the Hebrew word for "stayed," it is samech (pronounced saw-mak, Strong's #5564). Samech means to lean, lay, rest, support and it speaks of setting, placing or laying something upon something else so that it may be supported by it.

Taking Our Thoughts Captive

As we meditate and form or even squeeze our thoughts to focus on God instead of our situation, we are placing them on Him so that we may be supported by Him. That sheds more light on 1 Peter 5:7 doesn't it? "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).

So you see Beloved, we are not merely meditating on the Lord because we trust Him. We are actually taking our thoughts captive and forming them, and setting them upon God. Through this purposeful process we will receive support, perfect peace, and the ultimate soul satisfaction.

I would like to close with an ancient Hebrew pictograph (pictured here) just to further illustrate how we can experience soul satisfaction in the midst of the storm. The samech is not just a word, it is also the 15th letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

The Sages see the circular form of the samech as the heart of God which upholds and supports us. Just as a circle has no beginning or end, neither does God. His love is from everlasting to everlasting. This is what we can focus our thoughts on...the Lamb of God, the love of God. As we do that, we will be surrounded, supported, and kept in perfect peace in the heart of God.

My meditation is simple...Jesus loves me. How do I know this? The Bible tells me so. Amen and Amen.

Tiffany Ann Lewis
Dancing With the Flame of the Lord Ministries
tiffanyann@tiffanyannlewis.com
www.tiffanyannlewis.com

Tiffany Ann Lewis is a prophetic worship leader and Bible teacher with a unique focus on Biblical Hebrew, and whose heart has been passionately awakened by a God who sees us in our shortcomings, loves us in spite of it all, and calls out to us so we can live (Ezekiel 16). Her vision is to create an atmosphere in worship where we can meet with God face to face, where the Spirit of God moves freely, releasing emotional, spiritual and physical healing, and igniting a passion for our Heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus. Tiffany Ann has been ministering for over 10 years in prophetic worship throughout the Body of Christ. She worships with her family at Northway Church in Malta, New York, where she serves on the worship team.