Some guided thoughts on John Jefferson Davis’ excellent book Meditation and Communion with God: Contemplating Scripture in an Age of Distraction.

What is Davis’ thesis in The Puritan Practice of Meditation?

Davis states, “The central thesis of this book is that a believing, prayerful, and receptive reading of Scripture is an act of communion with the triune God, who is really present to the reader through and with the biblical text” (34). He wants the reader to understand “the nature and practice of biblical meditation as communion with God who is really present to the reader—based on a biblical and theological framework focusing on the doctrines of union with Christ and inaugurated eschatology” (8).

What are three places in the book where you believe Davis is most biblically profound, and why do you think so?

I appreciated Davis’ discussion of the understanding the Holy Spirit’s ministry in the inaugurated eschaton as “ordinary supernatural.” Pulling from Acts 1:2 and John 20:22-23 Davis says, “God still acts in the extraordinary supernatural in the church, but the key to a healthy church and Christian life is to operate consistently in the ordinary supernatural, in conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, as we preach, meditate on Scripture and do the work of ministry generally (39). The temptation for many Christians and churches is to reduce the Spirit’s ministry into one of extraordinary actions and gifts, missing that the New Testament clearly indicated His regular ministry is one of ordinary—yet no less supernatural—work.

Secondly, I loved Davis’ focus on our triune God, particularly that “salvation in the fuller and more biblical sense is sharing in the ever deepening measure in the life of the triune God: participating in and enjoying, by and in the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ joyous experience of His Father’s love” (54). What a wonderful reminder when tied to biblical meditation! By meditating on Scripture we are able to enter into “this experience and trinitarian fellowship even now, in this life, in anticipation of an even deeper experience in the life to come” (55).

Finally, I found his belief that inaugurated eschatology demands an inaugurated epistemology immensely helpful. Cutting through empiricism on one end and rationalism on the other, David advocates for “a logopneumatic (Word and spirit) theory of knowledge that has it’s origins in [Paul’s] encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus road and his own personal reception of the Spirit (Acts 9:17-18).” This is a compelling New Covenant epistemology; one of Word and spirit, a knowledge tethered to truth and senses. It’s quite common to pit Word against spirit, and vice-versa, but the biblical witness is one of a redeemed intellect governed by God’s word and spirit.

Are there any places in the book where you differ from Davis’ understanding of the biblical text or of the positions he advocates? If so, discuss your differences with Davis.

Davis is thoroughly biblical—and historical— in his understanding of the why and how of meditation. His discussion of inaugurated eschatology, the Trinity, and union with Christ are spot on and thus I didn’t have any significant disagreement with his thesis.

What does this book have to say about the relationship between reading the Bible and meditating on it?

Meditation and Communion with God calls for a meditative approach to reading God’s word. If reading Scripture, in faith, is nothing less than communion with the triune God, why would we not linger and meditate on it? Davis writes, “The historic practice of meditating on Scripture is, of course, just an example of ‘slow reading’” (24).

In what ways is this book about personal meditation on Scripture and in what ways is it about the public ministry of the Word?

Davis says personal meditation enables a deeper enjoyment of the preached Word (cf. 38), but this book is overwhelmingly about personal meditation. He says, “Those of us who are professional Christians—pastors, priests, seminarians, youth ministers, teachers, academics—often have other agendas as we approach the biblical text: sermons to preach, lessons to be taught, talks to be given, papers to be written” (127). We need to reorient our lives to come to God’s word with “no real agenda other than to be in Christ’s presence and to enjoy being in Christ’s presence.”

He also says, “[T]he practice of biblical meditation can be . . . especially vital for pastors . . . who constantly face the challenges of stress, burnout, and spiritual dryness in the midst of the demands of ministry” (8).

What part of this book is most needful in your ministry context? Explain why this is so and what specific steps would be necessary for this part of the book to become a reality there.

Davis knows well the rush and fuss of modern culture. He says, “In the face of today’s rushed lives and information overload, [biblical meditation] seems more important than ever.” He wisely doesn’t throw out all uses of technology, but a “reflective and intentional use of them, and a slower, more contemplative reading of Scripture” (24).

Ministry in the suburbs of Dallas is one of shepherding souls tempting to join the rat race of technological consumption. Such consumption directly impedes our ability to meditatively consume God’s word. How then can we shepherd the church to slow, edifying reflection on Scripture? First of all, we must effectively show—like Davis does in the book—that feasting on God’s word is real communion with God. From there, we can continue to model in our weekly liturgy what it looks like to feast together on God’s word as we read it, sing it, pray it, hear from it, and see it (the Lord’s Supper). The aim is to raise holy affections for communion with God that in turn decrease lowly affections for the triflings of this world.

How would you use this book differently in an academic setting as opposed to your ministry context?

In my church context I would use this book to give church members deeply constructed theological foundation for the practice of meditation. In an academic setting where matters of inaugurated eschatology, the Trinity, and union with Christ are—hopefully—richly taught, Meditation and Communion with God would be a wonderful example of how such doctrine can live in our soul; namely, through biblical meditation.

What do you think is missing from this book on Meditation and Communion with God?

Meditation and Communion with God clearly lacks a corporate dimension. What role does meditation have in the gathered congregation? Does it even have a role? Readers are left to make their own corporate applications. Davis would do well, in a second edition, to think more broadly about the implications of biblical meditation for Christ’s church.

Have you read anything more helpful on the matters addressed in Meditation and Communion with God? If so, what was it and why was it more helpful?

For the theology realities undergirding biblical meditation, this is the best book I’ve ever read.

What impact has this book had on your personal intake of Scripture or in your ministry of the Word?

The immediate impact was on my sermon preparation. I find myself tempted each week to rush through the given text and get right to constructing the sermon. Such a practice doesn’t fatten my soul in joy or prepare my heart to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ found in the text. Meditation and Communion with God reoriented my sermon prep process to starting each week with a slower, reflective read on the text. Once a fullness of meaning and life comes from the text, then I’m able to more effectively work on the sermon.