Steeping Tea

Posted on by bethany j.

A Month-End Meditation

O C T O B E R   2 0 2 6

In place of what used to be called “ttmmh” or “things that make me happy” lists at the end of each month, I’ve decided to shift to something new: a month-end meditation on Scripture & life.

Don Whitney describes the discipline of meditation like a tea bag that steeps in hot water for a good, long while.

“Meditation on Scripture is letting the Bible brew in the brain,” he writes.

“Meditation on Scripture is letting the Bible brew in the brain.” ~ Donald S. Whitney

Lately, I have felt my mind trying to keep pace with a world that never stops spinning, and in turn, my thoughts on the Word of God are often like weak tea that didn’t brew long enough. Maybe the spiritual discipline of meditating is harder than it’s ever been when I have an phone sitting beside my Bible (or, even more complicated, a Bible app on my phone).

It may sound fresh and crunchy to say we all just need to slow down, take walks in nature, (and cut out seed oils while we’re at it).

But biblical meditation is not slowing down for the sake of slowness. Psalm 46:10 does not simple say to be still.

It says, Be still and know that I am God.

The satisfactory goal of meditation is God Himself. Meditation is lingering long enough on the bread of Scripture to truly taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).

To use a fishing analogy, it’s sitting still long enough for the bass to bite.

This is what I long for when it comes to God’s lovely and lifechanging Word.

I want to it to brew long and strong in my mind, like that of the Psalmist who wrote:

“The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.”

~ Psalm 19:7-9

In grace,

10 Questions to Help You Meditate on Scripture

From Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

  1. What is it you are meditating on?
  2. What are its divisions or parts?
  3. What causes it?
  4. What does it cause; that is, what are its fruits and effects?
  5. What is its place, location, or use?
  6. What are its qualities and attachments?
  7. What is contrary, contradictory, or different to it?
  8. What compares to it?
  9. What are its titles or names?
  10. What are the testimonies or examples of Scripture about it?1

Each month, this section will be devoted to placing good, true, and beautiful things in my hands & yours—from great books to good meals.

O C T O B E R R E A D :

Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy
by Tilly Dillehay

In reading this book, which addresses the sin of envy, it occurred to me that there aren’t many like it these days—books entirely devoted to addressing one particular sin so it can be identified, rooted out, and burned in the fire.

Books like these were more common in the days of the Puritans, whom I think we could learn a few strategies from in going to battle against our sin. It’s a tactic that’s been around as long as wars themselves: if you don’t know who your enemy is, you will not know how to achieve victory over them.

In Seeing Green, Tilly tells her own story that started young with a secret envy of her sisters. She illustrates the truth of James 1:15, showing how the hidden seed of sin, unchecked, will grow into a weed, then a strangling vine.

With beautiful prose, Tilly demonstrates how the secret sin of envy can be put off and replaced with a love for the glory of God. When a daughter of the King sees herself in the only “Eyes That Matter,” suddenly, all envy of things in this short life falls away like dead skin.

She writes:

“The more you see your own position through God’s eyes, and the better you understand the outrageous overflow of good things coming your way in the presence of the Eyes That Matter, the less possible it will be to mutter to yourself over your friend’s husband’s new job.”

Find Seeing Green: Don’t Let Envy Color Your Joy on Amazon.

  1. Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO. 2014), 64 ↩︎

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