2 Timothy 2:7

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Paul gives Timothy a simple instruction.

Consider what I say.

Understanding does not usually come to the person who rushes past the page. It comes to the one who slows down long enough to think about what he just read. Many people say they do not understand the Bible, but often the real issue is not intelligence. It is attention.

Scripture invites us to linger.

Paul says that when we consider the Word, the Lord gives understanding. That means the process is not only intellectual. It is relational. We read, we think, we ask the Lord about it, and gradually the meaning begins to open up.

The Bible calls this meditation.

That word does not mean emptying the mind the way Eastern meditation teaches. Biblical meditation means filling the mind with the Word and turning it over again and again until it begins to sink in.

A cow provides a surprisingly good picture of it. A cow chews its food slowly and repeatedly, bringing it back up to chew again before swallowing it fully. It is not a quick process. It is steady and deliberate.

Meditating on Scripture works the same way.

You read a verse. You stop. You think about it. You pray over it. You return to it later and read it again. Little by little the truth moves deeper into the heart.

Paul’s advice is wonderfully practical.

Do not rush past the Word.

Sit with it. Turn it over in your mind. Talk to the Lord about it. When you do, the understanding you thought you could never find begins to appear.