Yesterday, I explained that we are to allow the Holy Spirit to inspire the words, thoughts, and prayers we speak. This aligns with what Joshua 1:7 says: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Verse 8 continues, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips.” What’s the next keyword? Meditate. In Hebrew, the word is “Hagah.”

When we think of meditation, we often picture someone practicing mindfulness or stress reduction, perhaps teaching deep breathing techniques. While there’s nothing wrong with those practices—they can be beneficial for relaxation—that’s not what this passage is talking about. Here, “meditate” (Hagah) means to say something aloud. If you look in the Bible, or observe people at the Western Wall reading aloud, that’s Hagah in action.

Hagah means to meditate by becoming deeply focused and fixated on an idea, but most importantly, it involves saying it repeatedly. You could even translate it as “chant.” Hagah is an action performed with your voice. So, when you meditate in this sense, it’s about what you are declaring aloud. The real question then becomes: What are you meditating on? This refers to what you are continually declaring by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What you’re meditating on is not just what you think about repeatedly; it’s what you say over and over.