Sitting At Jesus’ Feet

Meditating On The Word

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

Psalm 145:5 NIV

One way I like to meditate on the scriptures is to imagine myself in the story. When I do this, I go to the five senses. For example, in Matthew chapter 8, we read of Jesus calming the storm. When I read this, I wonder what sounds I would have heard. Would I have heard the waves crashing, or heard thunder? Were people screaming in fear?

What smells would you sense, salty air, or the smell of fish? Would I have seen flashes of lightning or fear on the faces of those in the boat? What about water splashing? Would I have gotten wet? Would the water have been cold on my skin?

Then I allow myself to feel the emotion of the moment. We read the disciples were afraid, but what would have been the emotions of the storm at rest? Were the disciples in awe? From there, I allow myself to just to sit in reverence of who Jesus is and what He did then and for us now.

Mary And Martha

One of my favorite scriptures to do this with is the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. I would love to have been Mary in this story to sit at Jesus’ feet and hang on His every word.

When doing this, I see Jesus sitting in front of the group as He teaches and the disciples who try to understand the depths of His teaching. I wonder who in the room would take notes, attempting to capture the moment and later write about it in their books. Was the room warm or cool? Was there a fire crackling as it settled from cooking the evening’s meal?

Then in the bustle I hear the tenderness of Jesus’ voice as He says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42 NIV).

Jesus wanted Martha to rest, too. To sit at His feet and not miss the moment. Many times I want to stay busy doing the things I feel need to get done. But, I remind myself, no one in their last days has ever said, “I wish I had worked more, or I wish my house would have been cleaner.” But I have heard many say, “I wish I had spent more time with my children”, or “I wish I would have gone on that trip.” Or even, “I wish I would have spent more time getting to know the Lord.”

Sitting At Jesus’ Feet

Everything in me would love to sit at Jesus’ feet. To hang onto His words. To hear them straight from God Himself. I wish I could have asked questions and looked into His eyes and He shared. In these moments, I have to wonder if the disciples really understood what they were witnessing. I don’t want to miss opportunities God has given me to get to know Him better.

I often tell God I would love to experience Him in the same way the disciples did and I am often reminded by Him I can. Even though Jesus might not be here in the tangible physical form, He is still very much here.

We can read His Word, His love letter to us. These words He spoke then are just as vibrant and important today as they were then. When reading, we can meditate on the Word and ask Him to draw us in, as I described above. I love guided prayer times, where someone reads the scriptures and helps me through this process. If this would help you, I have some guided prayers in our community membership for you to use.

We can also pray. Remember, as believers, the Holy Spirit is within us, and will even pray on our behalf. These often need to be more than our “Lord help me” prayers, but the prayers where we take time to truly seek Him. To wait in silence and let Him speak to us.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27 NIV

Spiritual Gifts

God also gives us spiritual gifts that He uses to draw us closer. Many times I have had dreams that were as real as Mary sitting at His feet (You can read one of them here). I encourage you to pray for God to give you gifts that will draw you closer to Himself.

Too often I become Martha, not necessarily in housework, but in other forms of busyness, and before I know it, the day has gotten away from me. In our recent classes, Gwyneth has challenged us to surrender ourselves to Him. To seek Him and His will at all times. Sometimes this means not doing the things of this world that I want to do first, but to spend time with Him.

We can still sit before the King of kings. The Savior of the world still wants to have an intimate relationship with each one of us. So, I challenge you to try out this type of prayer and meditate on the word. God will reveal more to you than you ever thought possible if you just come before Him with an expectant heart.