Devotion by Pastor Joseph Ang
Psalm 1:1-3
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly;
Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seats of the scornful,
But his delight is on the law of the Lord.
And on His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the riverside
His leaves shall not wither and he shall continuously bear fruit in its season.”
Contemplation is to give thought, consideration or observation to something. In our context as believers, contemplation is focusing one’s mind and soul upon the Lord. Some call it meditating upon the Lord.
We may not realise it, but we contemplate all the time. We are constantly setting our minds on far-reaching decisions, immediate choices, thoughts that affects us, and so on.
As Christians, the practice of silence and solitude includes “contemplation”.
Contemplation needs to be a practice. Like what the psalmist says, to “selah”—to pause, stop or be silent. While racing towards a destination, it is always difficult to come to a pause. Likewise, when our thoughts are racing in our minds, and this may include fear, worry and anxiety, contemplating as a spiritual focus is almost impossible.
We face temptations and decisions daily and some of these come with huge implications and impact on our moral bearings. Contemplation helps us untie these knots and see these situations in another perspective.
Personally, I go by this equation: Contemplation + Prayer = Meditation
The Psalmist says to “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
As much as watching fitness programs will not add to our wished-for muscles, contemplating on its own does not add to our immediate productivity. Yet contemplation is a practice that leads to effective living. We all know too well the cost of “not-thinking-through” and having to go back to rectify a situation again and again. It is often counter-productive.
Contemplation, therefore, is a necessary part of physical, as well as spiritual well-being. And effectively done, it is transformative and helps us to see God as our Strength and Redeemer.
Whenever I am guilty of not contemplating enough, I turned to Psalm 1 to focus my thought process, to know what to say “yes” to, and what to say “no” to.
When I’m over-thinking, I go back to Psalm 1 to check my ultimate goals. Will my ‘leaves not wither’ with this choice? Will I ‘continuously bear fruit in its season’ with this decision? If yes, I stop over-thinking,
Recently I was praying over a situation where I needed a solution for fulfilling a loan payment. There was an easy way of borrowing more or cut back on other expenses or just continuing with the existing repayment plan.
On a morning walk talking to God and just enjoying the surroundings, I saw this young shoot growing out of the soil. The gardener had obviously tied the plant to a guiding pole situated beside it. Otherwise, the frequent strong winds would have skewed the plant, impeding its growth.
With that, the Lord spoke to me. Right there and then, the contemplative prayer brought an ease to my mind as I saw the solution that God had brought for my situation.
Psalm 27:4 (MSG)
“I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet.”