Psalm 119:15 instructs believers to “meditate on [God’s] precepts and consider [God’s] ways.” On Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten season of reflection and meditation, it seems appropriate to ask what exactly it means to “meditate on God’s Word.” Here’s how the Questions Answered newsletter answers that question.

Meditation is a combination of reviewing, repeating, reflecting, thinking, analyzing, feeling and even enjoying. It is a physical, intellectual and emotional activity—it involves our whole being.

In some ways, meditation doesn’t easily fit into Western culture. We value action and busyness more than stopping and considering. The author of this psalm was from another time and culture, one with a tradition that valued meditation. As a result, meditation came more naturally for him and others with his Middle Eastern background. We have to overcome some cultural obstacles to learn to meditate.

There are many ways to meditate on God’s Word. Some possibilities include:

1. Take time to read a verse or passage over and over.
2. Begin to memorize all or part of it.
3. Listen—quiet your heart to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through God’s Word.
4. Consider how it fits with the rest of the Bible and life in general.
5. Become emotionally involved—allow yourself to feel what God feels, his desires expressed through his words.
6. Move from meditation to application—connect your thoughts to action. Consider how the truth and power of the Word of God should affect your behavior.

From the NIV Quest Study Bible, as presented in the Questions Answered newsletter.