Session 2, Eating

Contemplation Retreat
Doug Floyd (2/2006)
Session 2 Eating
1. What is meditation?

“A true meditation is when a man doth so meditate of Christ as to get his heart inflamed with the love of
Christ; so meditate of the truths of God, as to be transformed into them; and so meditate of sin as to get
his heart to hate sin.” Edward Calamy (Puritan preacher)

“Meditation is encountering God by listening to His word, rehearsing His deeds, reflecting on His word,
and obeying His command.” Richard Foster

Meditation is the reading slowly, prayerfully, while listening and thinking deeply about the
Word of God and our lives. Meditation can use all of the senses, the spiritual gifts and the deep
reservoirs of our imagination to focus our hearts upon the Lord and his Word. (for more, see
Meditation: The Power of God’s Word in Your Life)

2. The Word of God is food and drink for the soul.

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did
your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives
by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:3

A. Chewing. Reading and rereading and rereading. Pondering every word.

B. Soaking. Reading slowly. Reading less. Reflecting more.

1) Reading the same text for days, weeks, months and even years.
2) Memorizing the text and thinking upon it again and again.
3) Spiritual reading of texts that point us back to Word of God.

C. Digesting. Spending time in silence and solitude.

D. The Puritans emphasized meditation as a healthy part of Christian spiritual formation. (See
“Puritan Meditation”)

E. Exercise – Spend 30-40 minutes soaking on John 15:1-17 and/or Psalm 1. Read each word
slowly. Don’t feel like you have to force an experience. Simply relax and read through passages
several times. Listen. Reflect on the images in the text. You may want to follow on the Puritan
Contemplation Retreat, Trinity Chapel, February 18, 2006, Doug Floyd
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models for entering into the text. If one verse stands out, focus on it. If a question comes to
mind write it down. Write down any thing else that may come to mind.

Contemplation Retreat, Trinity Chapel, February 18, 2006, Doug Floyd

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