Using Visual Meditation as Christians

Visual meditation is a great tool to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and help achieve both daily and long-term goals. What separates this from other forms of meditation is that you experience feelings connected to achieving the goal you're focused on.

Guided meditation is very similar to this technique because it allows you to visualize and experience senses associated with the outcome you’re aiming for.

Many cultures and religions have been using this form of meditation to enrich their lives for centuries. One such group is the Buddhist monks. 

Buddhist monks meditate for one to three hours every morning when they wake up, and then another one to three hours before sleeping. In their meditation practices, they sometimes use a mandala, which they believe can help ordinary minds become enlightened minds.

Christians can use this form of meditation as well. Instead of using a mandala, you can read and reflect upon the Bible. This form of meditation can also be seen as a form of prayer. 

Deliberately focusing on specific verses and passages from the Scripture can guide your meditation and keep you goal-oriented and closer to God.

Meditation for Christians can serve many purposes. You can use this time to reflect and dissect Bible passages deeply. You can also ask Jesus questions or for guidance and listen deeply for His answers.

In this article, you’ll learn the benefits of visual meditation and how to successfully introduce it into your daily life.

Quieting your mind to hear God

As Christians, one of the highest accomplishments we can make in feeling love from our Heavenly Father is to hear Him; literally, hear Him. 

However, God speaks to us in many ways that don’t include hearing Him with our ears. How many times have we heard in our times of need that God speaks to us in mysterious ways? Well, it's true. Sometimes we just need to be silent and listen with our hearts.

To hear Jesus, we must learn to quiet our minds, let go of the outside world, and let Him in. 

To quiet our minds, we must limit distractions during visual meditation, which is not always easy. It’s not just about quieting the outside world and limiting distractions like phones, music, television, and other people; but we must also quiet our inner thoughts.

We must take time in our daily lives to listen for His voice of guidance and love. There are certain techniques we can use to limit distractions and open ourselves to the journey of meditation. 

For instance, set aside time on the same day each week to conduct your meditation.

Working it into your schedule allows you to have that time available without worrying about other responsibilities sneaking up and getting in the way. It’s unlikely that God will speak in a booming voice to us, but rather in whispers. We must open our minds and quiet our thoughts to hear Him when He speaks.

Creating a conducive environment

Creating a safe and quiet space for your mediation can also help solidify this practice in your life. 

Lighting candles, incense, or creating a playlist of soft meditation music in a quiet part of your home can help your mind begin to relax. It’s a wonderful way to train your brain to get into meditation mode.

Another important key factor is to know what your meditation sessions will be focusing on. A goal, a Bible verse, or listening for God's guidance about a current challenge in life are all things you can focus upon instead of letting your mind wander aimlessly. It’s very beneficial to know what your mind will be focusing on before you begin.

When listening for the voice of God, remember 1 Kings 19:11-13:

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”  

Guided meditation

Christians can also use guided meditation to stay on track if we should find our minds wandering during silent meditation. Guided meditation involves listening to another person, recorded or live, and focusing our energy on their words.

Being led by another party can make it easier to concentrate on achieving our goals, whether that’s physical healing from chronic pain, reducing stress, or healing emotionally.

You can also use guided imagery, also known as visualization, under the guidance of a teacher or narrator. This form of meditation can help your mental health deal with other obstacles you may be facing. The goal is to relieve stress and introduce wellness and deep relaxation to increase positive feelings.

In guided imagery, you imagine places or situations that your mind finds relaxing. Whether that’s the beach, a lake house, the woods, a meadow, the choices are endless. 

Through this form of meditation, you don't only relax your mind, but you also use senses to help guide you to the place you want your mind to go. Senses such as smells, sounds, and textures help achieve your destination.

Benefits of meditation

As Christians, we use meditation in its many forms to bring us closer to God. It’s also a great form of self-care. Many use these techniques to decrease chronic pain or implement better sleep patterns. 

You don't necessarily need zen music or bonsai trees. The wonderful thing about visual meditation is that it's as unique as the individual utilizing it.

Religions across the world use meditation to bring themselves closer to their deity. Those suffering from insomnia use it to quiet their mind and induce sleep. Others who are burdened by stress meditate to declutter their busy minds and see things without the weight of anxiety. 

As Christians, we can use visual meditation to help us hear God and His reassuring words more clearly.

However you choose to use visual meditation, there are many ways to implement it in your life and bring positive energy into your day.

For more prayer guidance, download the Pray.com app on the iOS App Store and Google Play.