“Meditation is the missing link between Bible intake and prayer.”  – Donald S. Whitney – 

            Prayer should flow naturally from our encounter with God through His Word.  But it often does not.  Why might that be?  In many cases, it is the result of our approaching Scripture reading as part of a “to do” list instead of an opportunity to be in the presence of God.  It may not even be that this is our intention, only that our fast-paced lives have conditioned us in this way.  The quote above is derived from Donald Whitney’s book, Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life in which he sets forth spiritual disciplines that are valuable as we live our Christian lives.  According to Whitney, the two most important of these disciplines are Bible intake and prayer.  Whitney says, “There should be a smooth, almost unnoticeable transition between Scripture input and prayer output so that we move closer to God in those moments”.  He believes that this happens when meditation is the link between the two disciplines,   giving two examples in which Scripture teaches this very point: 

“Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my groaning.”  Psalm 5:1 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14 

            To meditate is to consider thoughtfully, or to ponder.  There is not a more important time in our day than the time spent with the Father.  It’s a time when God speaks to us through His Word and we speak back to Him in prayer.  Make the most of this time by allowing meditation to bridge the two.  Worry less about the amount of Scripture you take in, but instead meditate on what you do so as to understand what God is saying to you and how you might be changed by having been in His presence.  When you do, you will find that your prayers will not only flow more naturally, but also with great power.  This will please the heart of God, serve your own good, but most of all, bring Him glory.