Time to Go Deeper

So commit yourselves wholeheartedly
to these words of mine.

Tie them to your hands and wear them
on your forehead as reminders.

Teach them to your children.
Talk about them when you are at home
and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed
and when you are getting up….

so that as long as the sky remains above the earth,
you and your children may flourish
in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors.

Deuteronomy 11:18-19, 21

I’ve been up for a couple of hours. Praying. Seeking. Meditating.

I’m realizing again, but to a new degree, how important meditation is. Meditating on Your Word, on You, on the things You show me. To hold and study and savor. To let them soak in and saturate my mind and soul.

Not to ‘glance in a mirror and then walk away and forget,’ but to study and remember and be transformed.

This is a year of deeper transformation. Deeper meditation. Taking full possession of the treasures You have given me.

Meditation is not a real common word in church today. Sometimes I think it even scares a lot of Christians; many think of it only in terms of eastern religions or the New Age movement, not realizing that Jesus lived a life of deep meditation.

Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me
and to accomplish his work….Truly, truly, I say to you,
the Son can do nothing of his own accord,
but only what he sees the Father doing.
For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

John 4:34; 5:19

Simply put, meditation is the concentration of thoughts on one thing; to think about something carefully, calmly, seriously, and for some time.

Jesus’ whole life focused on His Father. On His words, His plans, His will. Yes, Jesus spent most of His days surrounded by people, but He often slipped away to be alone with His Father, later teaching or displaying what He had received during these private encounters. Although He lived a very public life, Jesus drew strength, direction, and pleasure from these intimate moments.

To give a visual illustration: If thoughts and words were physical objects, meditation would be the act of holding, examining, taking apart, tasting, smelling, listening to, and savoring in order to study and become one. And in becoming one, to live out what you are focused on.

I have experienced weeks and months of concentrated lingering in God’s presence, pressing into His Word, and listening intently for His every whisper. I couldn’t run into my prayer room fast enough, nor stay long enough. Everything I learned and treasured from those moments leaked out on the rest of my day. Wherever I went, these lessons expanded and grew deeper roots into my soul.

Suddenly, scriptures I had heard for years came to life. Knowledge turned into experience. Experience turned into passionate conviction.

As I walked by the river each morning I would pick up stones to represent what the Spirit was teaching me that day. A small metal box now holds these priceless reminders like treasures found at sea.

Again, the Holy Spirit is drawing me to deeper waters. Again I am reminded, we don’t bear the image of Christ by accident. We don’t produce fruit, heal the sick, and set captives free by glancing in the Word and walking away.

We don’t release the glory of God by focusing on the world.

This year, let’s go deeper in God. Let’s linger. Let’s soak Him in. Let’s drink from the bottom of the ocean instead of sipping from the surface.

Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.

Psalm 42:7-8

Find more of Amy’s encouragement in Will to Be Filled

Amy Layne Litzelman is passionate about knowing God more intimately in each moment and helping others do the same. Amy released her first book, This Beloved Road: A Journey of Revelation and Worship, in 2011. She has also composed over seventy songs, recorded four CDs, and traveled to teach and lead worship across the United States and in the Philippines and China. She and her husband, Matt, live in Jackson Hole, WY and have two adult sons.

Click here to learn more about gifted faith writer Amy Layne Litzelman