I was able to attend an annual ladies’ retreat this past weekend that we hold within our area of sister churches. It’s a wonderful time of fellowship as women encouraging one another. It’s also a time of learning and growing. I got to connect with old and new sisters, and it truly is a blessing.
This year I did learn—both from the good and the bad. I feel called to share in case you come across the same lessons.
The theme this year was “Attitude of Gratitude.” The speaker’s message the first night was, of course, focused on gratitude, remembering even the smallest things for which we can be thankful. This is being intentional about keeping track of those things, so to be aware of and offer a tangible list of our many blessings in life. I absolutely agree with this 100% (more on that in a bit)!
The second day approached different territory. I want to first say the speaker certainly has a beautiful heart for the grieving. As a grief counselor (with a life story holding several parts I could relate to, including losing a spouse in divorce and losing a home), her message held some great insight on how to deal with all aspects of change and loss, and the grief they produce. Something that stood out in truth was the direction not to hold in our “secret” struggles (divorce, abuse, job loss, retirement, empty nest, etc.) but to share life’s difficulties, losses, and changes that are causing us grief with others so we can begin to heal. She seems to genuinely care about those she helps in their recovery, and she made sure to approach every woman in attendance so to talk with them directly. Such a thoughtful, compassionate heart, indeed.
Yet, while there’s nothing inherently wrong with some of the tactics provided (many being essential for life changes), other tactics provided raised red flags, and never once was a Bible opened. This disheartened me.
Yes, some Scripture was verbally referenced (without book/chapter/verse)—the usual, reassuring “Be still and know that I am God” and “Peace, be still” that we hear in many motivational speeches at fluffy, positivity-driven women’s conferences, but these were employed leading up to and as part of breathwork exercises. The speaker told the story of breathing in and out in comparison to the name Yahweh. She centered on a breathwork prayer, what’s known as “contemplative prayer.”
This is when one of the red flags popped up.
*I’d heard this term before but knew only very little about it, so I had to dig a little deeper into what I’m about to discuss.
There is nothing wrong with breathwork at all, and there is certainly nothing wrong with praying. Breathwork has been proven helpful to the body and stress—breathing in deeply from the diaphragm, slowly inhaling through the nose and exhaling out of the mouth. But when we try to make it a spiritual practice in “meditation” (as she specifically emphasized during this message), by clearing the mind and trying to “hear God speaking,” this ushers in occult practices (this is not biblical!).
“Contemplative prayer begins with ‘centering prayer,’ a meditative practice where the practitioner focuses on a word and repeats that word over and over for the duration of the exercise. The purpose is to clear one’s mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may be more easily heard. After the centering prayer, the practitioner is to sit still, listen for direct guidance from God, and feel His presence… Contemplative prayer, by design, focuses on having a mystical experience with God. Mysticism, however, is purely subjective, and does not rely upon truth or fact. Yet the Word of God has been given to us for the very purpose of basing our faith, and our lives, on Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17) … Contemplative prayer, as practiced in the modern prayer movement, is in opposition to biblical Christianity and should definitely be avoided” (Got Questions).
First, let us be clear about Scripture, which does use the word “meditate,” but it’s not the same as Eastern religions and New Age meditation of “emptying” the mind so to “hear” from a spirit (“Christianesed New Age” says it’s the Holy Spirit or God). The word “meditate” in Scripture is conveyed three ways in Hebrew (OT) and two ways in Greek (NT).
In Hebrew, the first word is hāḡâ—meaning “utter, talk, study, imagine (believing something), roaring, mourn.” The overall understanding is communication by speaking or inarticulate sounds (like growling or moaning—still a form of communication). The second word is śîaḥ—meaning “speak, pray, commune, talk, sing, ponder, study, consider, put forth thoughts.” Again, we see communication, and we also see thinking, pondering, and studying. The third word is śûaḥ—meaning commune, speak, complain”—however, this definition is uncertain, and in context, seems like it could possibly be a prayer.
In Greek, the first word is meletaō—meaning “practice, care for, attend to, devise, contrive.” We see it used in pondering (think or consider deeply). The second word is promeletaō—meaning “premeditate” (consider or deliberate beforehand).
Whichever way it is used, all these actively use the mind, not empty the mind. And while it does refer to communication, it is thoughtfully delivering/giving communication, not passively receiving communication. Otherwise, the process fully uses the mind to carefully think about things to the point of studying and deeply pondering. One example we see in Scripture is found in 1 Timothy 4. In this passage, Paul is encouraging and exhorting Timothy, and we can see how the word is utilized in proper context.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice (meditate on) these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
In the Old Testament we see it used in passages like Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
And Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
In these instances, the Law was to be spoken from the mouth, never neglecting it, but speaking it constantly, so to remember it and adhere to its commands. “True Christian meditation is an active thought process whereby we give ourselves to the study of the Word, praying over it and asking God to give us understanding by the Spirit, who has promised to lead us ‘into all truth’ (John 16:13). Then we put this truth into practice, committing ourselves to the Scriptures as the rule for life and practice as we go about our daily activities. This causes spiritual growth and maturing in the things of God as we are taught by His Holy Spirit” (Got Questions).
With all this, I’m praying for us to understand the true, biblical definition and intention of the word.
God already speaks to us through His Word. So if we want to “hear” Him, we need to “meditate on” (study, ponder deeply, speak, and practice) His Word.
If God does happen to want to audibly speak to us today directly, He doesn’t need our permission. He doesn’t need us to clear our minds and ‘allow’ Him to speak. He is God, and He will speak at His will, not ours, and not by our actions. (Paul/Saul did not clear his mind and ‘allow’ the message of the Lord on the Road to Damascus!).
It’s incredibly important to understand that the “meditation” practice of Eastern Mysticism and the New Age, along with yoga and many other occult practices, are of false religions with false gods. It is a practice which can open the door to spiritual warfare (demonic activity).
Now, back to the conference topic and Scripture. While, blessedly, there were Bible verses scattered throughout décor and in our program booklet (thanks to the program coordinator!), sadly, Scripture wasn’t exegeted by the speaker. A Bible was never even opened, which is incredibly unfortunate given all the Scripture God gives us emphasizing gratitude and prayers of thanksgiving. We should always be thankful, so I 100% fully support being intentional about praising God with a thankful heart (1 Thessalonians 5:18 [the key verse that was provided in our booklet]/ Colossians 3:15-17/ Hebrews 12:28, just to name a few).
And concerning loss and grief, who better to turn to than God Himself and His Word! Our hope is not found in things or even loved ones of this earth, but in God through Jesus Christ and the hope we have knowing we are saved from judgment and will reign with Him in eternity. Our thoughts are to ever be centered on Him and things above (Colossians 3:1-2), not this temporary world. He has also given us a great Christian community of siblings in Christ we can lean on with our burdens, praying for one another, encouraging, exhorting, and spurring on one another (Romans 12:9-21/ Galatians 6:2/ James 5:13-20/ Ephesians 4:1-16/ 2 Corinthians 13:11). All these are great examples of Scripture which could have been and should be shared.
Now, I do NOT disregard or downplay the fact that grief, anxiety, depression, and the many other effects of loss and change are not real and need real-life treatment, management, and support in order to recover and heal (I do have a background in counseling and know these experiences are very real and destructive). But God and our secure foundation in Him should be front and center. Always.
I also want to address another item of concern the speaker pointed out—trust. She displayed an image of a jar with marbles. Each marble represented a characteristic in a person which would warrant trust (things such as being a Christian, integrity, honesty, kindness, etc.—when a person showed these to be true, a marble was added, however, the marbles could be taken away if they violated one of those characteristics—example image below).
At the top of the jar was a person’s name (let’s say, “Jane”). Therefore, if Jane had her jar full of marbles, then she would be someone we could trust. If Jane lost marbles, though, our trust level in Jane would dwindle, perhaps eventually dissolving altogether. In general, this may be an acceptable practice with setting boundaries of trust with people—especially when someone has encountered trauma in relationships.
However, next, the speaker removed the person’s name and put God’s name at the top.
Another red flag popped up, y’all!
If we have a hard time trusting God because of life’s struggles, that’s a problem on our end, not God’s. God’s characteristics are perfect and fill the “marble jar” fully and even overflowing ALL THE TIME. We are called many times to persevere in faith (Colossians 1:22-23). Faith is trusting God. Therefore, when we do not trust God, we do not live in faith, which is actually a form of rebellion against God. We see over and over in the Old Testament narratives of those who didn’t trust God. Having questions about God and our walk in Christ, trying to learn about Him, is not the same as not trusting Him. Christianity is a critical-thinking faith (“you shall love the Lord your God with all your…mind“—Mark 12:30), not a blind faith. If anyone’s name should have been added to that jar it should be ours, as we should test ourselves to see if we are trustworthy, genuine, and walking in the faith.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.
May we all anchor ourselves in God’s Word so to be able to test what’s presented within the church today (yes, even our local church by trusted leaders). Let us hold fast to truth. Remember, the only way to tell the counterfeit is to know the authentic. Let us pray for wisdom and discernment, being cautious against false doctrines entering the church, especially those which appear as “light,” innocent, and good.
References:
H1897 – hāḡâ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1897/esv/wlc/0-1/
H7878 – śîaḥ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7878/esv/wlc/0-1/
H7742 – śûaḥ – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (esv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7742/esv/wlc/0-1/
G3191 – meletaō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3191/kjv/tr/0-1/
G4304 – promeletaō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4304/kjv/tr/0-1/
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Ponder. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ponder
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Premeditate. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/premeditate
Got Questions Ministry. What is Christian Meditation? Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-meditation.html
Got Questions Ministry. What is Contemplative Prayer? Retrieved April 16, 2023, from
https://www.gotquestions.org/contemplative-prayer.html
Got Questions Ministry. Breathe Yahweh. Retrieved April 17, 2023, from Is it true that every time we breathe we are saying the name Yahweh? | GotQuestions.org