25 Powerful Ways to Meditate on God’s Word

Every Christian knows how important it is to meditate on God’s word every day for their own spiritual strength and connection to our Lord. Understanding and following God’s teachings is a central foundation of the Christian faith. By meditating on Scripture, you think deeply and internalize God’s truth so you can put it into practice in your daily life.

The good news is that there are many ways to meditate on the Bible throughout the day, even if you don’t have much free time. Here are 25 suggestions to enrich your Scripture meditation moments.

Best 25 Specific Ways and Examples of Meditation

1. Plan Your Bible Meditation
For this form of meditation, the first step is to choose the verse you will meditate on. Don’t pick random verses. Instead, choose a single book from the Bible and work your way through that book each day during your meditation time. If you’re not very familiar with Scripture, consider beginning with one of the gospels from the New Testament, like Mark or Luke.

More advanced readers might decide to start with a book of the Old Testament, like Psalms. Make sure to read only a small portion of the text each time. Then, from your reading, choose one or two specific verses to meditate on. You don’t have to rush. Take as many sessions as needed to meditate on the verses you selected before moving onto another book of the Bible.

2. Pray over the Bible Verse
A great way to meditate and apply the Bible text to your life is to pray over it. You bring the biblical truth exposed in that verse to your situation the best way you can, and you use it to pray to God. For example, if you read a Psalm that talks about the attributes of God, you can worship Him in prayer. If you read a lament, you can borrow those words to help you when you’re going through a hard time. If you read a piece of advice, you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you put it into practice, and so on.

3. Highlight Strong Words in Your Bible
A simple way to meditate on God’s word is to highlight strong words as you read, like active verbs and nouns that are important in a sentence or that grabs your attention. You also can highlight words or expressions that an author seems to repeat throughout a chapter or a book. It will help you visually identify ideas emphasized in specific portions or books. And when you get back to that passage, a glance at those highlights will help you remember what you learned from it. For example, try highlighting words like “joy” and “rejoice” in the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians. You will understand why this epistle is commonly called “the letter of joy.”

4. Read Different Versions
You probably have a favorite version of the Bible. You don’t need to change your mind about that. But you can use other versions to compare the text and help you better understand God’s truth. Different translators use different techniques according to their objectives for that version. Compare the more literal translations that focus on words to the more dynamic translations that focus on the ideas. Think about how each group of translators chose to translate the verses you’re meditating on. It will help you understand the biblical text. Also, read the preface or the notes about the translation in each Bible version so you understand the differences between them.

5. Read It out Loud
Another good way to connect to the biblical text is to read it out loud. You don’t have to read it too loud. Just read it so you can hear your own voice. But don’t rush it. Focus on each word you read. By doing this, you will pay more attention to the text than if you were just going over it with your eyes. Also, you get to hear your own voice, so your brain is much more involved with that task (by reading, speaking, and listening).

6. Handwrite a Verse
We live in a world of digital data and electronic devices, but sometimes it is useful to go analog. Use this exercise in your biblical meditation: write down by hand the verses you want to focus on. Don’t rush it. Pay attention to each word you’re writing, think about its meaning, notice the sequence of words the author chose to express that idea, and so on. You can do this exercise with different translations of the verse as well. To do this, simply handwrite three or four different versions of the same verse and compare them, for example with KJV, NKJV, ESV and NIV. You will have a closer connection and a deeper understanding of the text if you read and write the various translations of the same verse.

7. Write It down Using Your Own Words
Another great way to go analog and go deeper into the meaning of a particular verse is to write it down using your own words. If you find this difficult, expand from one verse to a group of three or more verses. Be careful to stay faithful to the original meaning. If you find this too hard, check other translations or look up a commentary online to study the text further.

8. Display a Verse in a Prominent Place
The idea here is to put a Bible verse in a prominent place in your home where you can easily see it throughout the day. Choose one verse that you want to focus on or memorize. Be creative with how you display the verse in your home. For example, if you have a whiteboard, write the Bible verse on it. If you have a corkboard or a bulletin board, copy it onto a piece of paper or print it and then pin it on the board. Then, whenever you look at the verse, re-read it and think about it for a few moments. If something comes to mind when you are doing this, write those thoughts next to the verse. It is a great way to be reminded of the text you’re meditating on.

9. Use Sticky Notes to Display a Verse
If you don’t have a whiteboard or another large space to put a verse, another idea is to put your chosen Bible verse in a prominent place by using sticky notes, like post-its. Try handwriting the verse on a sticky note and sticking it in a place where you will see if often, like your computer, the bathroom mirror, your desk, the refrigerator, your planner, etc. Keeping the text in an area where you will see it frequently will help keep it fresh in your mind.

10. Have a Conversation with the Text
When you’re meditating on God’s word, you can dialogue with the text by asking yourself questions and then finding the answers. For example, ask: “Who is saying this?” “Who are they speaking to?” “Where are they?” “Who is that person?” and so on. Some questions may require you to look up the answers online. If you are having a hard time finding the answers, talk to your pastor to get a full understanding of the text.

11. Take It with You
Sometimes you read a piece of Scripture that touches your heart, that talks directly to a specific need you have, or that presents something about God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit that is especially deep. A great way to meditate on this part of Scripture is to keep it close to you. Write it down on a piece of paper and take it with you in your pocket or your wallet. If you prefer to go digital, put it into your smartphone in a note-taking app or highlight it on your favorite Bible app. No matter how you do it, the important thing is to have those Bible verses handy when you need them.

12. Talk about It with Someone
An excellent way to organize and consolidate your ideas from your Bible meditation is to talk to someone about them. It can be another believer, your spouse, another family member, or a friend. It doesn’t matter. Invite someone to exchange ideas about the Bible and tell them your findings and what you learned from that particular passage of the Bible. Expressing what you learned to someone else is a perfect way to reinforce lessons learned and to come up with questions that will help you go deeper into the word of God.

13. Make It Your Wallpaper
We need to be constantly reminded of what we are learning from God’s word so we can bring those lessons into our hearts. A good way to be exposed to verses that you want to meditate on is to have them as your smartphone’s or your computer’s wallpaper. You can also use them as your lock screen image. There are many apps out there that allow you to select a beautiful background and add a verse’s text to it to create a powerful image.

14. Memorize It
A powerful way to meditate on verses of the Bible is to commit them to memory. Learning verses by heart allows you to bring them to mind at any time and meditate on them wherever you are. Repetition is a key for Bible memorization. You can use many ideas from this article to help you memorize verses. You can also repeat the verse you are memorizing to yourself several times throughout the day. When you start memorizing a new verse, take some time to recite the previous verses you’ve memorized so you don’t forget them.

15. Make a Mind Map
You can use mind maps to study and meditate on the Bible. Mind maps help you organize thoughts and ideas and explore them visually. You can find many online resources that will help you learn how to create a mind map. You can begin by studying specific themes. You can write down a keyword or a verse on the center of the mind map and then search for verses related to it. Then, you can bring more verses and keywords connected to those first verses you selected, and so on. The mind map will help you notice relations between verses, words, and subjects. It is an effective tool for diving deeper into the word of God.

16. Hand Letter It
If you like to express your ideas in visual form, you can do that with the verses from the Bible as well. Hand lettering is a great way to create beautiful art out of the words of a Bible verse. When you work on it, you need to think carefully about each word, so you can choose a design that expresses its importance. You will be able to combine art and the word of God and meditate on that verse while you do it.

17. Bible Journal It
Another way of using art to meditate on a specific verse or passage of the Scripture is Bible Journaling. If you don’t like to write or draw in your Bible, then this method is not for you. But if you enjoy making illustrations in your Bible, Bible Journaling is a powerful way to meditate deeply on Scripture. You will need to think about the text for a while before you choose what you will draw. When it’s done, every time you look at the illustration on that page, you will be reminded of what you meditated about, what you learned, and what inspired you to create that specific piece of art.

18. Create Art Inspired by It
If you’re a creative person and are drawn to express your ideas using art, explore other ways of expressing the truth of the Bible so you can meditate on Scripture while letting your creative juices flow. Besides hand lettering and Bible Journaling, try using your favorite form of art to represent something you thought of when reading the Bible. For example, draw or paint a scene that will help you remember a biblical event that touched you. Or compose a song or write a poem that is inspired by Scripture. There are many ways to use your artistic talent to help you think deeper and remember the verses that you are meditating about.

19. Sing It
There are many more ways you can use your creativity to meditate on God’s word. Another idea for the artistic brothers and sisters out there is to put the words of Bible verses into a song. You don’t need to be a music composer to do that. Many people use melodies to help them remember things they learned. For example, young children and non-English speakers use the Alphabet Song to memorize the correct pronunciation and sequence of the letters in the English language. That’s the idea here. Create a simple melody or borrow from another song and sing those Bible verses. It will be easier to memorize them and to keep them present in your mind.

20. Journal About What You Learned
You don’t need to keep memorize the Scripture you are reading to effectively meditate on it. For people who like writing, a great way to meditate on God’s word is to write about it in a personal journal. Even if you’re not particularly a fan of journaling, you can still jot down your thoughts about the words of Scripture you’re studying. Later, you can come back to it when you want to recall something or go even deeper into that text.

21. Keep a Log of Your Favorite Verses
If journaling is not appealing but you still want to keep track of the verses you’re meditating on, try keeping a simple verses log. To do this, write down each verse in a physical (paper) notebook or in a note-taking app. Make sure to add some personal comments to it of what you thought of when you were reading the verse. You don’t need to write an essay. Just write a few sentences about each verse explaining why it caught your attention, what you learned from it, what it teaches about Christian life, etc.

22. Research It
After you read and meditate on God’s word, you may need some help understanding the full meaning of a verse. To go deeper and learn more from it, do an internet search to find what various theologians and Bible teachers have to say about it. Talk to your pastor to get commentary authors or websites with commentaries that are aligned with what your denomination teaches. Make sure to use good references and avoid questionable content (and there is much of it on the internet!). You can also purchase good study Bibles and Bible commentaries to help you in your studies and Christian meditation.

23. Listen to a Sermon about It
Another fantastic way to gain more insight into a biblical text is to listen to a sermon by a respected preacher about it. Good preachers will explain the text and suggest how to apply it to our own lives in their sermons. Listening or watching a thoughtful sermon will offer you helpful lessons from that passage of the Scripture. As with the previous suggestion, talk to your pastor to get some suggestions on good preachers. It could be classic preachers (like C. H. Spurgeon) or contemporary preachers (like John MacArthur). You will be able to find books, videos, and transcripts of sermons from many well-known preachers online. Most of those resources will allow you to search for a Bible reference (book, chapter, and verse) or keywords. These are powerful resources to help you enrich your Bible meditation.

24. Share It with Your Friends and Social Media Followers
Many of the previous suggestions will provide you with content that you can share with others, in person or through social media. For example, you can take a picture of the hand lettering art you created and share it on Instagram or Facebook. Or you can share your wallpaper or the poem that you wrote. You can also create new content specifically for sharing with your social media friends and followers. For example, you can write a blog post, record a podcast episode, film a video where you share what you learned from meditating on those verses or chapters, and so on. And you can invite people to collaborate and comment so you will get more insight about that biblical text from your friends and followers.

25. Create an Action List
When we study the Bible, we need to keep in mind that we are not simply looking for information. We need a heart transformation. And that transformation is only possible because of God’s work in our lives through His Spirit and His word. The Bible contains everything we need to have a relationship with God and live in a way that pleases Him. But we must understand it and put it into practice with the help of the Holy Spirit.

So, when you meditate and extract lessons from Scripture, write down what you need to do to put what you’ve just learned into action. Make sure to start each item of your list with a verb. Also, if needed, you can add subitems with the steps you will take to accomplish that main action. For example, Matthew 6:14 says, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (KJV). When you meditate on this verse, you may be reminded by the Holy Spirit of people you need to forgive. Then, you will pray, and you will make a list of those people who have hurt you, and you will pray for them too, and ask God to help you forgive them. You can also add subitems with more specific actions, like calling someone that you want to forgive and reconnect with.

Conclusion

Setting aside a specific time to bring the work of God into your life through meditation on His word is an essential habit that will help you apply God’s ways to your life and become a better follower of God. Using one or more of these forms of meditation will help you gain more knowledge of the Bible, enrich your prayer life and quiet time, and bring a renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). Try some of the various meditation methods listed here and get ready to feel the wonders of a deeper relationship with Christ Jesus.

Author Bio
Natalie Regoli is a child of God, devoted wife, and mother of two boys. She has a Master's Degree in Law from The University of Texas. Natalie has been published in several national journals and has been practicing law for 18 years.