Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover

Christians Meditation is entering a solitary place. If not physically, then at least let it be so mentally. This is a quiet time for you to re-integrate and re-calibrate your mind with your body. And re-integrate and re-calibrate your mind and body with God‘s presence with you and in you. This is a time for you to be alone. And to be alone with God. Remember the quote from the apostle Paul in Acts 17:28 – In him you live and move and have your being.

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Psalms 27:1 (NIV)

The LORD is my light and my salvation —

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

This is poetry so it’s loaded with a lot of words of imagery. Appealing to our imagination.

The LORD. Yahweh. HE IS. 

(HE IS) is my light. 

Life. Overcoming darkness and death.

Genesis 1:2-3 (NIV)

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Psalms 36:9 (ESV)

For with you is the fountain of life;

in your light do we see light.

2 Tim 1:10 (ESV) 

…Our Savior Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Psalms 56:13 (NIV)

For you have delivered me from death

and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

in the light of life.

(HE IS) is my salvation. Deliverance. Rescue. Safety. Freedom. Prosperity. Of course what the world calls prosperity is very different than what the Bible calls prosperity. But ultimate salvation in the Bible is never about dying and going to heaven. It’s about living instead of dying. But more than that – it’s about living the life you were meant to live. A life of flourishing. Joy. Freedom. Security. This is the ultimate narrative of the Bible. Heaven is dwelling in the visible presence of God. God is Salvation, and God/heaven is returning to earth and we will have resurrection on a resurrected earth. This is salvation. But the layers of salvation are true for us even now. Even now there is salvation from our emptiness and our chaos and our darkness. Even now there is rescue. Healing. Life. Because the Spirit of God lives in you even now. Even now your body is a temple of his Holy Spirit. You have his life and his joy and his salvation inhabiting your body even now.

(HE IS) is my stronghold. The stronghold of my life. The Hebrew word here for a stronghold means a fortified place. Often these were fortresses on top of a rocky cliff. So same idea as my “rock” and my “fortress” and my “refuge” in other psalms.

Last episode…

Psalm 62:6-7 ESV

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

 …My mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Timestamps:

00:37 - 18:38 Body Meditation

18:40 - 32:26 Bible Meditation: Psalm 27:1

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

This is a time to get away from all the mind distractions — all the focus distractions — of your phone and scrolling through social media or email or the news. This is a quiet time to re-integrate and re-calibrate your soul (mind, body and spirit) with the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit. That’s the purpose of Christian meditation. 

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.

(Dr. Rachel Zoffness — MS, PhD, is faculty at the UCSF School of Medicine, where she teaches pain education for medical residents and interns, and serves on the steering committee of the American Association of Pain Psychology. She writes in The Pain Management Workbook):

Relaxed diaphragmatic breathing uses your diaphragm and stomach muscles. When you belly breathe, you train your breath to go lower and slower. This increases your blood oxygen level, improves circulation to facilitate healing, lowers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, turns off your SNS to calm your body, and helps reduce pain volume [if you deal with chronic pain]. Throughout your day you can check which type of breathing you’re doing—stressed versus relaxed—and catch yourself when your breathing gets stressed and shallow in your chest. The moment you notice that you’re chest breathing is the moment you can do a very quick short meditation to change your physiology, shut off your SNS stress response, and lower your anxiety dial by breathing lower and slower instead.

Psalms 62:5-7 (ESV)

5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

6 He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

This is a great example of the kind of meditation God’s people have been doing for thousands of years. It’s a typical psalm of David — words with lots of imagery that appeal to our imagination.

But verse 5 is also a particular kind of meditation in the Bible…

— “for God alone, O my soul, wait in silence…” He’s not directly addressing God. And he’s not really addressing his readers either. He’s addressing himself. Well, specifically he’s speaking to his own soul. In the Hebrew understanding of soul, The way that Hebrew word is used in the Hebrew Scriptures also included the body. The whole self. He’s telling his whole self — his mind and his body — to “wait in silence” — to be quiet. The NIV translates it, “find rest in God.“ 

Think about that phrase right now and use your imagination to feel it into your body and mind. Find rest in God. Wait in silence.

That word silence. Find rest. Quieting your mind from racing into all these other stories either in the past or in the future. We so often use our imagination to ruminate on past conversations, failures, mistakes, sins, events that make us angry or resentful or insecure. Or we use our imagination to create stories about a potential future that causes anxiety or worry or fear or anger fantasies. But here this Psalm is calling you to focus your mind on this present moment. Using your imagination to sense the presence of God in this present moment. 

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence. Find rest. V. 7 On God rests my salvation and my glory.

And feel the weight of your body letting go of holding yourself up. Feel the weight of your whole body giving in to gravity and resting in silence. You are completely resting on God 100% right now. Feeling the weight of your entire body resting on God right now. Feeling the weight of all your anxiety and tension and stress resting on God right now. This is imagination. This is meditation. But feel this imagination. 

Remember the verse we looked at in our last episode…

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

You are in a solitary place with God right now. You are alone with God right now. For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence. Find rest in God alone. On God rests my salvation and my glory.

This is utterly countercultural in our day.

John Mark Comer writes about…

Michael Zigarelli from the Charleston Southern University School of Business conducted the Obstacles to Growth Survey of over twenty thousand Christians across the globe, and he concluded that busyness was a major destroyer of a Christian’s spiritual life. He writes, “It may be the case that (1) Christians are assimilating to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload, which leads to (2) God becoming more marginalized in Christians’ lives, which leads to (3) a deteriorating relationship with God, which leads to (4) Christians becoming even more vulnerable to adopting secular assumptions about how to live, which leads to (5) more conformity to a culture of busyness, hurry and overload. And then the cycle begins again.”

So much of the Bible is written to activate our imagination so that we can feel and experience our connection with God. So let’s imagine and feel this right now. 

Imagine God being the fortress behind which right now you are taking refuge. Your body. Your life. Your future. Your past. Your concerns. Your worries. Fears. Insecurities. 

Imagine right now how God is bigger than any anxiety you have. Any fear. God is your fortress. God is your refuge. Your salvation and your glory rests on God alone. Imagine this right now. Imagine being behind God as your fortress. Imagine God being your refuge right now. Feel this into your body. Feel the entire weight of your body and your life and your past and your future and all of your concerns completely resting on God right now.

You will not be shaken. You can let go of all fight or flight in your body. You can let go of anxiety. You can let go of insecurities. Tell your body to Rest on God. On God rests your life and your salvation and your glory and your well-being and your joy and your past and your future.

Whatever chaos and uncertainty and threats are in your life right now, God alone is your rock and your salvation and your fortress and you shall not be shaken. Your mighty rock — your refuge is God.

Whatever pressures you’re feeling right now – on God rests your salvation and your glory. Your hope is from him.

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

This is a time to get away from all the mind distractions — all the focus distractions — of your phone and scrolling through social media or email or the news. This is a quiet time to re-integrate and re-calibrate your soul (mind, body and spirit) with the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit. That’s the purpose of Christian meditation. If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.(Dr. Rachel Zoffness — MS, PhD, is faculty at the UCSF School of Medicine, where she teaches pain education for medical residents and interns, and serves on the steering committee of the American Association of Pain Psychology. She writes in The Pain Management Workbook):Relaxed diaphragmatic breathing uses your diaphragm and stomach muscles. When you belly breathe, you train your breath to go lower and slower. This increases your blood oxygen level, improves circulation to facilitate healing, lowers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, turns off your SNS to calm your body, and helps reduce pain volume [if you deal with chronic pain]. Throughout your day you can check which type of breathing you’re doing—stressed versus relaxed—and catch yourself when your breathing gets stressed and shallow in your chest. The moment you notice that you’re chest breathing is the moment you can do a very quick short meditation to change your physiology, shut off your SNS stress response, and lower your anxiety dial by breathing lower and slower instead.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

When you wake up in the morning, if you immediately go to your phone, you immediately go to your social media, you immediately check your email, or you immediately start reading the news or turn on the morning news shows on TV — the first thing you’re doing in the day is to download the weight of a very stress-filled and anger-filled world, and you are stressed and depressed by noon. If you wake up in the morning, and immediately surrender your central nervous system to the cacophony of modern life, and then you're off and running — you’ve already surrendered your day to a thought system based on anger and fear and insecurity that dominates this world.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.This is a time to get away from all the min distractions — all the focus distractions — of your phone and social media and scrolling through email or the news. This is a quiet time to re-integrate and re-calibrate your soul — mind, body and spirit — with the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit. That’s the purpose of Christian meditation.Let’s begin by lying flat on your back or, if it’s more practical for you at this point, sit comfortably in a chair. Uncross your legs. Close your eyes.And let's just take a deep breath.rWho can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Diego Huaman.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

When you wake up in the morning, if you immediately go to your phone, you immediately go to your social media, you immediately check your email, or you immediately start reading the news or turn on the morning news shows on TV — the first thing you’re doing in the day is to download the weight of a very stress-filled and anger-filled world, and you are stressed and depressed by noon. If you wake up in the morning, and immediately surrender your central nervous system to the cacophony of modern life, and then you're off and running — you’ve already surrendered your day to a thought system based on anger and fear and insecurity that dominates this world.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.

This is a time to get away from all the min distractions — all the focus distractions — of your phone and social media and scrolling through email or the news. This is a quiet time to re-integrate and re-calibrate your soul — mind, body and spirit — with the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit. That’s the purpose of Christian meditation.

Let’s begin by lying flat on your back or, if it’s more practical for you at this point, sit comfortably in a chair. Uncross your legs. Close your eyes.

And let's just take a deep breath. Let’s get a slow rhythm of breathing started to calm your mind and body and put your body and mind in a disposition to be able to sense, using your biblically guided imagination, the presence of God’s Spirit. God‘s presence with you and in you.

With each breath focus your mind on relaxing the muscles in your whole body a little bit more— especially with each exhale. Feeling your muscles soften. Feeling tension release throughout your body. And focusing your mind’s attention on feeling the sensation — the subtle sensation — of your body letting go of effort. Relaxing. Your body feeling heavier as it gives in to gravity. Becoming more calm. Your mind becoming more quiet.

Let’s think of Jesus‘ words in...

Matthew 6:6 (ESV)

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

In the Greek language this is originally written in the pronoun for you is either in the singular or plural. Most of the time Jesus says it it’s in the plural. But here it’s in the singular. Which is interesting. Jesus is specifically singling you out as an individual in this teaching and inviting you to go into your room and shut the door to be with God as your father who is in secret. Just you and God alone. 

And he says your father who sees in secret will reward you. Reward in the Bible is often the language for God revealing himself to us. Giving himself to us in a special way. He is our reward. Making his face shine upon us. Kind of like when James says draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8). 

Use your biblically guide of imagination now to see this as true for you right now in this moment. In this moment the God who created the entire universe is alone with you. The God who is unseen, sees you right now. Just as Jesus said, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

Using your imagination, feel this reality right now in your body. You are alone with God. In the presence of God. In secret. In a solitary place of the transcendent peace of God‘s presence with you. He is your reward. He is bigger than any problem you face right now. He is bigger than anything that is giving you anxiety or fear or tension or stress or insecurity or anger. You are alone in the presence of the God who created the universe. Who lives forever and ever. Who is ultimate over all existence and the giver of all life.

Feel this. Breathing slowly through your nose and sending the air low into your belly. Feeling your belly rise with the breath of life. And with each exhale feeling the sensation of your body letting go of self protective effort. Letting go of having to have the perfect will for your own life. Letting go of seeing your life as all about you. You are in the presence of God. The one who lives forever and ever. And he is the giver of life to every cell in your body. He holds together every atom in your body. You exist — you have your very being — because he wills it. And you are alone in his presence right now. And his very Spirit indwells your body right now in this moment. Use your imagination to feel this reality — this unseen reality — in your body right now. In this moment.

Many of the passages in the Bible about being alone with God in prayer or meditation emphasize the morning, the hours of the morning. When you wake up in the morning is when your mind is most aware and sensitive to spiritual impressions and realities. 

That’s why it was Jesus’ practice in…

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Maybe you’re doing this podcast in the morning or maybe you’re doing it at another time of the day that works better for you.

Either way, this is a time you’ve set aside to enter a kind of solitary place – whether physically or mentally and spiritually — this is a solitary time for you to meditate — to re-integrate your soul — your body with your mind and spirit, and re-calibrate your soul — mind, body and spirit — with the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit. 

This is a time to get away from all the distractions of your phone and social media and scrolling through email or the news. This is a time to recalibrate your body with your mind and spirit and re-integrate your soul — mind body and spirit — with God’s Spirit.

As you continue to breathe, continue to focus on your slow rhythm of breathing, use your imagination to see yourself – your body — alone in the presence of God who sees in secret. And to imagine that God himself is your greatest reward right now. His presence with you. His love for you. And let that calm comfort and confidence replace tension in your body right now. Anxiety. Any insecurities. Fears. Anger fantasies. 

In our last episode we looked at…

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This is the day that the LORD has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

This day is God‘s gift to you. Every day you live is a gift from God. Whenever we have a sense of entitlement we always think we deserve better. But every moment you live is an undeserved gift from God. And the more we understand that the more our heart is filled with joyful gratitude and glad appreciation that the eternal God chose to give us life.

Another verse is like it…

Psalms 90:14 (ESV)

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

We wake up in the morning, what we will do that first hour or so often sets the tone for our entire day.

In his book the ruthless elimination of hurry, John Mark Comer writes…

“I can’t think of a worse way to start my day then a text from my work, a glance at email, a quick scroll through social media, and a news alert about that day’s outrage. What I’m saying is, let prayer set your emotional equilibrium and scripture set your view of the world. Begin your day in the spirit of God‘s presence and the truth of his scriptures.“ 

So when you wake up in the morning, if you immediately go to your phone, you immediately go to your social media, you immediately check your email, or you immediately start reading the news or turn on the morning news shows on TV — the first thing you’re doing in the day is to download the weight of a very stress-filled and anger-filled world, and there is no mystery why your central nervous system is stressed and you are depressed by noon. If you wake up in the morning, and immediately surrender your central nervous system to the cacophony of modern life, and then you're off and running into your day — you have already surrendered your day to a thought system based on stress and tension and fight or flight and anger and fear and insecurity that dominates this world.

Today you have an almost infinite amount of information about all the stress in the world. And our brains were not made to be able to handle an endless amount of the whole world’s dangers and stress. And this is taking a toll on our psyche and mental health to be sure.

But with the taking on the stress of the world, it's an assault on the central nervous system. This is why we have the frayed adrenal systems that we have. Like Jesus, we must cultivate quiet, we must calm confidence as we start our day. 

This world will constantly be pulling you towards anger, it will be pulling you towards cynicism, it will be pulling you towards negativity, it will be pulling you towards judgmental attitudes and a narrative of constant victimization. Think of that word judgmental. It is as it says – judge – mental. A mental state of judgment rather than gratitude and calm confidence in God‘s presence and love and Lordship and every moment. In this moment – whatever the moment is. 

So each new day, try to include a time of quiet meditation and contemplation like we are doing here. 

Like Jesus did, start your day surrendering your mind and your body to a thought system based on a calm confidence of God’s presence and love and lordship in every moment of your day. Always in this moment – every moment of your day.

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This is the day that the LORD has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 90:14 (ESV)

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

We could also say, “all our day.”

Through Christian meditation, instead of being an angry victim and judgmental in your mental state and body chemistry and disposition, you are able to bless everybody instead. Because you are walking in a blessed state yourself. You’re able to rejoice and be glad in God‘s unfailing love for you today! When you meditate on and feel the blessing of God upon you today — in this moment — it’s a blessing you want to give to everyone else you encounter throughout the day. In every moment. The blessing of joy. The blessing of love. The blessing of gratitude. The blessing of calm confidence and shalom. 

There’s a reason why the word shalom was the biblical greeting. Do you bless everybody? Before you go into your day, be prepared to be a blessing. 

Be spiritually awake and aware so that you do not miss God‘s goodness toward you in each day. Always right now in this moment.

Because this is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalms 90:14 (ESV)

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

Timestamps:

01:13 - 24:05 Bible Meditation: Mathew 1:35

23:24 - 24:51 Prayer

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

An important part of Christian meditation is to use your biblically guided imagination to see the better, unseen realities our lives are in, and to bring our mind and body into an integration with those spiritual realities. Otherwise we become a mind/body that’s fragmented and disconnected from spiritual realities, that's hijacked by tension and anxiety, anger, frustration, and fear.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Contextually speaking this verse is prophetic of the day of Jesus’s death and resurrection for salvation, as well as the day of his return. Like the entire Psalm, this verse is layered with prophetic imagination.

But it’s also a true principle all on its own…

Psalm 118:24 ESV

This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Like Paul writes in…

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

And…

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

16 Rejoice always (shortest verse in the original Greek Bible), 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Say aloud to yourself…

“Because this is the day that the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Timestamps:

01:08 - 06:04 Body Meditation

06:15 - 26:51 Bible Meditation: Psalm 118:24

26:54 - 28:07 Prayer

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

Imagine a scene the Bible describes before the very throne of God in…Revelation 4:8-10 (NIV) Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:“‘Holy, holy, holyis the Lord God Almighty,’who was, and is, and is to come.”Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: Then…Revelation 4:11 (NIV)“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

We know from physics that your physical body is composed of atoms arranged differently into molecules to form different kinds of physical realities in your body. Different tissues. Cells. An atom is composed of a nucleus with electrons revolving around it. The nucleus of an atom is 200,000 times smaller than the diameter of the atom. The electrons are many times smaller than the nucleus. In other words an atom consists of millions of times more space than solid matter. Because atoms are in fact mostly empty space, most of your body is empty space. But we see it and feel it as solid. You can’t see the atoms because they are way too small. But they are very real. So if you imagine right now your body comprised of and full of unseen atoms — the DNA and RNA in your cells throughout your body — but there is mostly empty space between the atoms that comprise your body — when you use your imagination to see and feel your body this way, you’re experiencing something that’s very real but unseen. And that’s what you’re doing when you’re using your imagination to experience and feel God in you and always with you.

Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV)

Acts 17:28

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

1 Corinthians 8:6 (NIV) 

Every atom in your body owes its existence and its current presence to the presence of God right now in this moment. You don’t create yourself. You don’t live for your glory. Your will. You exist because it was God‘s will for you to exist in his universe – forever. The forever God wanted to be your God forever. This is why he gave you you’re being. This is why you have your being right now in this moment. The forever God is your God forever! And that reality can put joy and gladness into your whole body right now in this moment.“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, …all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”“In him we live and move and have our being.”

This is a tremendous relief. Understanding this kills anxiety. The fight or flight of living for your own glory. Falsely believing your life depends on the perfection of your will. Your power.

You can just let go of so much anxiety and fear and insecurity and anger and fight or flight central nervous system living. Rest in God’s lordship. Power. Presence. Will for you. The reason he created you. So take a deep breath. Release your clenched muscles. Let go of the tension. Let your muscles soften. You can trust. You can depend on. Rely on.

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

God gives us the power of imagination to affect the reality of our lives – including the physical reality of our body. This kind of Christian meditation brings the transcendent experience of God into your mind and into your body so that you can replace anxiety, insecurity, stress and tension with the better and truer imagination of God’s infinite and intimate presence and love for YOU.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.

Relaxed diaphragmatic breathing uses your diaphragm and stomach muscles. When you belly breathe, you train your breath to go lower and slower. This increases your blood oxygen level, improves circulation to facilitate healing, lowers stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, turns off your SNS to calm your body, and helps reduce pain volume if you deal with chronic pain.

Throughout your day you can check which type of breathing you’re doing—stressed versus relaxed—and catch yourself when your breathing gets stressed and shallow in your chest. The moment you notice that you’re chest breathing is the moment you can do a very quick short meditation to change your physiology, shut off your SNS stress response, and lower your anxiety dial by breathing lower and slower instead.

Your body is always responding to what your mind is imagining one way or the other. Like I said in the last episode about warming my hands by simply using my imagination. I was imagining holding my hands over a hot campfire. Then a few minutes later the temperature thermometer in my hand started rising..

The point is that this is always happening in your body. This is the power of renewing your mind that the Bible talks about. We’re not just renewing our mind but we are renewing our body by renewing and focusing our mind on true spiritual realities.

Let’s focus on recalibrating your body with spiritual reality. Let’s focus your imagination on feeling into your body the reality of what the Bible says is true about the presence and life-giving power of God with and in your whole body — every cell in your body. Right now in this moment.

Imagine a scene the Bible describes before the very throne of God in…

Revelation 4:8-10 (NIV)

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

Then…

Revelation 4:11 (NIV)

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

We know from physics that your physical body is composed of atoms arranged differently into molecules to form different kinds of physical realities in your body. Different tissues. Cells. An atom is composed of a nucleus with electrons revolving around it. The nucleus of an atom is 200,000 times smaller than the diameter of the atom. The electrons are many times smaller than the nucleus. In other words an atom consists of millions of times more space than solid matter. Because atoms are in fact mostly empty space, most of your body is empty space. But we see it and feel it as solid. You can’t see the atoms because they are way too small. But they are very real. So if you imagine right now your body comprised of and full of unseen atoms — the DNA and RNA in your cells throughout your body — but there is mostly empty space between the atoms that comprise your body — when you use your imagination to see and feel your body this way, you’re experiencing something that’s very real but unseen. And that’s what you’re doing when you’re using your imagination to experience and feel God in you and always with you. You’re using your imagination to experience and feel the presence and reality of something that’s unseen but very real. Now it’s different because atoms are physical and God is spiritual. But as far as our imagination works it’s the same. We can’t see either but we can experience both in a way through our imagination.

So now let’s focus your imagination on experiencing the reality of what the Bible says is true about the presence and life-giving power of God with and in your whole body — every cell in your body. Right now in this moment.

Talking specifically about Jesus…

Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV)

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, …all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 

Acts 17:28 — In him we live and move and have our being.

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! 

1 Corinthians 8:6 (NIV) 

…There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

“for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

When you see every atom in your body and every moment in your life this way — it will put everything in your life in perspective. Every atom in your body owes its existence and its current presence to the presence of God right now in this moment. You don’t create yourself. You don’t live for your glory. Your will. You exist because it was God‘s will for you to exist in his universe – forever. The forever God wanted to be your God forever. This is why he gave you you’re being. This is why you have your being right now in this moment. The forever God is your God forever! And that reality can put joy and gladness into your whole body right now in this moment.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, …all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

“In him we live and move and have our being.”

This is a tremendous relief. Understanding this kills anxiety. The fight or flight of living for your own glory. Falsely believing your life depends on the perfection of your will. Your power.

You can just let go of so much anxiety and fear and insecurity and anger and fight or flight central nervous system living. Rest in God’s lordship. Power. Presence. Will for you. The reason he created you. 

So take a deep breath. Release your clenched muscles. Let go of the tension. Let your muscles soften. You can trust. You can depend on. Rely on.

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Timestamps:

00:36 - 05:21 Body Meditation

05:43 - 22:32 Bible Meditation: Revelation 4:11

23:17 - 24:05 Prayer

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.

God gives us the power of imagination to affect the reality of our lives – including the physical reality of our body. This kind of Christian meditation brings the transcendent experience of God into your mind and into your body so that you can replace anxiety, insecurity, stress and tension with the better and truer imagination of God’s infinite and intimate presence and love for YOU.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.Today we’re going to meditate on…Romans 11:36 (NIV)For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” We recalibrate our lives and our body with reality when we reintegrate how we see ourselves with the truth of this verse.Let’s use our imagination to feel the truth of this verse into our entire body and our soul.“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” And Acts 17:28 says, “In him we live and move and have our being.” Christian meditation uses biblically guided imagination to experience your utter dependence upon God’s life-giving Spirit even at the cellular level. “For from him and through him and for him are all things.”Use your imagination to feel God’s Life-Giving Spirit in your body. This is mysterious, but it’s also real. Imagine the Spirit that gives Life flowing through your veins throughout your whole body. This is the language of the Bible.Every cell in your body is given life from him, through him, and for him. This is reality. This is the realist reality in your life right now in this moment. And you can see this reality by using your biblically guided imagination.Your imagination is powerful enough to greatly affect your body. This is part of the power of our soul - body connection. Hand warmingAs further evidence that your imagination affects bodily processes, it’s actually possible to heat your hands—just using your imagination. I’ve actually done it! (You’d need a stress thermometer.) In the same way your beliefs and feelings and thoughts throughout your day are affecting your body. Perhaps putting unbelief into your body. Worry. Fear. Insecurities. Threats. Your anger fantasies. Your misinterpreted narratives of your relationships with people.But the opposite can be true too. You can put the truth of the forever God being your God forever into your body throughout the day as well.“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” “In him we live and move and have our being.” Use your imagination to feel that truth throughout your entire body. And with each breath out use your imagination to feel God‘s presence inside you giving life to every cell in your body.With your imagination on God‘s presence and in your body, you’re feeling a kind of transcendent sense of quiet. You’re feeling a sense of wonder at the God Who created the universe residing inside your body. Giving life to your body. And because Christ is in you you are one with God right now in this present moment.Romans 11:36 (NIV)For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.You live for God’s glory. And when you do, you glory in God’s glory. His glory becomes your glory forever. Like when we fee the “glory” of our sports teams. But when we focus on our own glory, that’s a dead-end kind of glory. Our lives get smaller. Less glorious. Because most people can see through it and we look ridiculous. When our own glory feels threatened — this is the voice of the false self. A false glory. This is often what brings anxiety. Anger fantasies.

God gives us the power of imagination to affect the reality of our lives – including the physical reality of our body. This kind of Christian meditation brings the transcendent experience of God into your mind and into your body so that you can replace anxiety, insecurity, stress and tension with the better and truer imagination of God’s infinite and intimate presence and love for YOU.

If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that for this podcast.

Today we’re going to meditate on…

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” We recalibrate our lives and our body with reality when we reintegrate how we see ourselves with the truth of this verse.

Let’s use our imagination to feel the truth of this verse into our entire body and our soul.

“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” And Acts 17:28 says, “In him we live and move and have our being.” 

Christian meditation uses biblically guided imagination to experience your utter dependence upon God’s life-giving Spirit even at the cellular level. 

“For from him and through him and for him are all things.”

Use your imagination to feel God’s Life-Giving Spirit in your body. This is mysterious, but it’s also real. Imagine the Spirit that gives Life flowing through your veins throughout your whole body. This is the language of the Bible.

Every cell in your body is given life from him, through him, and for him. This is reality. This is the realist reality in your life right now in this moment. And you can see this reality by using your biblically guided imagination.

Your imagination is powerful enough to greatly affect your body. This is part of the power of our soul - body connection. 

Hand warming

As further evidence that your imagination affects bodily processes, it’s actually possible to heat your hands—just using your imagination. I’ve actually done it! (You’d need a stress thermometer.) 

In the same way your beliefs and feelings and thoughts throughout your day are affecting your body. 

Perhaps putting unbelief into your body. Worry. Fear. Insecurities. Threats. Your anger fantasies. Your misinterpreted narratives of your relationships with people.

But the opposite can be true too. You can put the truth of the forever God being your God forever into your body throughout the day as well.

“For from him and through him and for him are all things.” 

“In him we live and move and have our being.” 

Use your imagination to feel that truth throughout your entire body. And with each breath out use your imagination to feel God‘s presence inside you giving life to every cell in your body.

With your imagination on God‘s presence and in your body, you’re feeling a kind of transcendent sense of quiet. You’re feeling a sense of wonder at the God Who created the universe residing inside your body. Giving life to your body. And because Christ is in you you are one with God right now in this present moment.

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

You live for God’s glory. And when you do, you glory in God’s glory. His glory becomes your glory forever. 

Like when we fee the “glory” of our sports teams. 

But when we focus on our own glory, that’s a dead-end kind of glory. Our lives get smaller. Less glorious. Because most people can see through it and we look ridiculous. When our own glory feels threatened — this is the voice of the false self. A false glory. This is often what brings anxiety. Anger fantasies. Self protection. We are forgetting the glory of Romans 11:36.

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

The glory you glory in when the forever glorious God is your God forever. 

Living for God‘s glory instead of your own puts peace and joy and well-being into your body. Your body was created for God’s glory. Not to try to strive for your own. When you strive for your own glory that’s what puts tension and stress and anxiety — maybe even certain kinds of chronic pain — into your body. Because your body can’t live incongruently with the reality of the universe. 

So let’s come back to your breathing – the rhythm of your breathing — and feeling your body from within. And using your biblically guided imagination to feel the reality of God‘s presence and glory giving life and joy into your whole body from within. 

Imagine this in your body right now. All throughout your body. Every cell. 

“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.

Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecover

Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePod

Our audio engineer is Diego Huaman.

This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.