A devout, country-kind of fellow, not quite so skilled in the English language nor good at choosing the right word to express himself, purportedly said with reference to his time of deep though and contemplation that he was “medicatin’.” He might have missed the word “meditating” by a mile but he expressed an excellent idea by the wrong word. There is no better medicine for the health of the soul than a period of serious reflection upon the Lord and His law.
Gone are the days of following “Ol’ Paint” down a row of freshly tilled earth. What with the steady plod, an occasional “whoa,” “gidaup,” “gee,” and “haw,” there was time for serious thought reflection and tasting of scripture impressed upon the memory. Old time farmers were close to the earth and respected it as God’s special creation. They were mostly humble, strong and zealous for the faith. In fact, they were so dedicated that they could work from sunup to sunset, occasionally stopping before sunset to hitch up the wagin’, travel ten miles to a meetin’ and “medicate” on some fine preachin’. If there was no meetin’ nearby, they would gather their families in the livin’ room and teach them the precious words of inspiration before retiring at night. They had, early in their lives, memorized Psalms 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
All disciples need a little of this kind of “medicatin’” – a little eyesalve that will enable us to see ourselves as the Lord sees (Revelation 2:18). Serious meditation is as critical to health of the soul as proper medication is essential to curing diseases (cf. Philippians 4:8). The serious minded Christian is conscious of the dangers of pressure-pot employment that steals precious time from studying the word (note Matthew 13:22). We might yearn for the days of quietness while toiling in the field but that is impossible so we must make sure that there is still ample time for meditating on the law of the Lord.
Take a break. Take a little time from the noise, confusion and stress. Spend a little time quietly savoring the word – it’ll do your soul good. – Jim R. Everett
A devout, country-kind of fellow, not quite so skilled in the English language nor good at choosing the right word to express himself, purportedly said with reference to his time of deep though and contemplation that he was “medicatin’.” He might have missed the word “meditating” by a mile but he expressed an excellent idea by the wrong word. There is no better medicine for the health of the soul than a period of serious reflection upon the Lord and His law.
Gone are the days of following “Ol’ Paint” down a row of freshly tilled earth. What with the steady plod, an occasional “whoa,” “gidaup,” “gee,” and “haw,” there was time for serious thought reflection and tasting of scripture impressed upon the memory. Old time farmers were close to the earth and respected it as God’s special creation. They were mostly humble, strong and zealous for the faith. In fact, they were so dedicated that they could work from sunup to sunset, occasionally stopping before sunset to hitch up the wagin’, travel ten miles to a meetin’ and “medicate” on some fine preachin’. If there was no meetin’ nearby, they would gather their families in the livin’ room and teach them the precious words of inspiration before retiring at night. They had, early in their lives, memorized Psalms 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
