THINK AGAIN! Contemplating Life
“Channels of my spirit open up!” It’s a captivating song by Dunsin Oyekan that I found myself ruminating over recently. What if the very way you’re meditating is opening the wrong doors?
Last week, I opened a window into my university years—how I redefined success through God’s script rather than society’s.
But what I didn’t share was how I changed my thinking. How my restless mind found stillness.
I’ll be honest. I loved the idea of floating in glory clouds, lost in some grand, mystical experience.
But sitting still? In silence?
That felt more like torture than worship.
My engineering mind needed movement, needed understanding. So, I found myself listening to mellow worship music while reading my Bible—half soaking, half searching.
Somehow in the middle of balancing studying and this practice of brooding devotion, God met me.
In those moments, I stumbled upon the concept of contemplative prayer. And oh, did that open a rabbit hole of curiosity! Mysticism, ancient practices, conversations about the spiritual world—sprinkled with a few perspectives about the dangers of such.
I read about Madam Guyon, Watchman Nee and A.W.Tozer but the question for me still remained…Was I inviting the Holy Spirit… or something else?
Let me clarify what I found:
The whole conversation about contemplative prayer led me to research meditation. I have found that New Age/Eastern meditation and Biblical meditation may look similar on the surface, but their core couldn’t be more different.
- Eastern Meditation:
- Empties the mind.
- Encourages repetitive chants or complete silence.
- Focuses on “positive thinking” and detachment.
- Can leave a person open and unguarded—spiritually exposed.
- Empties the mind.
- Biblical Meditation:
- Fills the mind—with the Word of God.
- Involves speaking the scriptures or muttering God’s word under the breath.
- Shapes our thinking into alignment with Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5, Romans 12:2).
- Promotes unity with the Holy Spirit, closing doors to deception.
- Fills the mind—with the Word of God.
Here’s what I learned:
Stillness isn’t about emptying your mind; it’s about centering your thoughts on Who truly fills all in all.
God wasn’t just offering mental quietness, but giving a peace that surpasses understanding.
I wasn’t going to float in glory clouds all day, I also needed to anchor myself in His Word and His presence.
And that understanding? It didn’t just change my prayer life.
It unlocked a breakthrough in one of my toughest engineering courses. For the first time I understood what it meant to be multi-dimensional and what transformation meant.
So, let me ask you—what’s filling your mind when you’re trying to find peace?
Are you practicing stillness with God or without Him?
The difference is eternal.
Bloom in Solitude 🌸