 |
| Thanks to barenakedislam.com for the picture. |
I hope this doesn't gross you out, but I love the idea of a lion nomming away at something it's just caught. It enjoys it immensely. You could probably hear it purring or even growling a little in its enjoyment of such a delectable meal. At least, that's how I imagine it.
Do you know the Hebrew word hagah? It means to murmur in pleasure, murmur in anger, ponder, mourn, speak, imagine, and study. Isn't that an incredibly complex word? I love it. It's my favourite word.
I've been teaching a Contemplative Prayer workshop for our church family, and have realised that I need to do a better job of explaining where the idea of meditation comes from. To quote a more experienced teacher than I, meditation isn't an Eastern religious concept that Christianity is trying to change for it's own use. It's something given to us by God from the very beginning, something that became twisted into the emptying of oneself rather than the finding of oneself in Christ.
My evening, after watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders football game, was spent researching what Hebrew words ended up being translated as "to meditate," at which point I ran across my favourite word, hagah, again (it keeps coming up) as well as a few new ones. It was enlightening. And satisfying. I had an hour of good hagah time as I dug into the Word. I need to enjoy God's Word like that more often. Meditate on it in the study sense. I encourage you to do the same.
