Paraklesis [‘encouragement’, ‘exhortation’, for life and ministry]
July 2026
Beloved followers of Jesus,
In this Paraklesis, I explain how to meditate on the Bible, and give an example of this, in my recent meditation on God’s goodness.
God shows us in the Bible that we should meditate on the words of the Bible!
In Psalm 1, the wise person is described in these words:
Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they prosper [1:1,2,3].
We find the same theme in Psalm 119:
I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Though rulers sit together and slander me, your servant will meditate on your decrees.
May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.
I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises [119:15,23,78,97,99,148].
In Biblical meditation, our aim is not to empty our minds, but to fill them with the words and works of God !!!
We see Biblical meditation in practice in the words of Deuteronomy
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates [6:5-9].
This is a long way from ‘read, run, and forget’!
Here is the method of Biblical meditation that I use.
- Look at the occurrence of the word[s], and the context of the word[s] in the Bible.
- Find similar themes or the same word[s] in the Bible, both Old and New Testament.
- Think of and find references to the same words or themes in other books or sources.
- Reflect on experiences of this theme or words in our world.
- Talk with others about what you are meditating on and pondering.
- Pray to God with the content of your meditation, thank God, praise God, confess your sins, bring your laments to God, and ask him to reveal himself to many people, and draw them to faith in Christ, and to bring his people to maturity in Christ, for his glory.
Recently I noticed for the first time[!] that one reason for praising God in Psalm 100 is that ‘the LORD is good’! I realised that I had not thought about or pondered that fact that God is good, nor had I used that truth to shape my praises or thanks to God, nor had I thought how that truth should shape my life!
So I began a long and slow pondering and reflecting meditation on the goodness of God: ‘the LORD is good’!
1. Look at the context of the words. Psalm 100.
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Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! | Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; |
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! | For the Lord is good; |
Of course I reflected on v. 6. The goodness of God results in this steadfast love and faithfulness, and so is revealed in his steadfast love and faithfulness.
2. Find similar themes or the same word[s] in the Bible, both Old and New Testament.
When Moses asked the LORD, ‘show me your glory’, he replied, ‘I will make my goodness pass before you, and proclaim my name, “The LORD”’ [Exodus 33:18,19]. God’s goodness, like God’s glory is who he is; and God also reveals his goodness.
We should praise God for his abundant goodness, which is expressed in his steadfast love. Nehemiah 9: 25 ‘The revelled in your great goodness’. Isaiah 63: 7 ‘I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD…the many good things he has done for Israel.’ Psalm 145:7 ‘They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness’. Psalm 106:1 ‘Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.’
Because God is good, he wants humans to be good, and he teaches us how to live this way. ‘Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way’ [Ps 25:8]. We should imitate God’s goodness: ‘Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God’ [3 Jn 11].
God is good, and his goodness follows us, indeed, pursues us! ‘Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life’ [Ps 23:6].[1]
Because God our Lord is good, we need his goodness, and recognize this goodness is what we need, and what we have. David said ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you’ [Ps 16:2].
Because God is good he forgives us, and his love abounds. Ps 86:5, ‘For you, O LORD, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.’ Ps 145:9, ‘The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all he has made’.
God is good, so we can appeal to his goodness when we pray.
Psalm 109:16, ‘Because your steadfast love is good, deliver me!’Psalm 86:17, ‘Show me a sign of your goodness’.
Psalm 119:65, ‘Do good to your servant according to your word’.
And Hezekiah’s prayer, ‘May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers…’ [2 Chron 30:18,19].
We encourage each other to know God’s goodness: Ps 34:8, ‘Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!’
And the in the New Testament Lord Jesus is God’s goodness active, attractive, and effective, : ‘But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us…’ [Titus 3:4,5].[2] Wow!
3. Think of and find references to the same words or themes in other books or sources.
I remembered words from Simone Weill. ‘Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating.’[3] [We find evil fascinating: it is a big part of current fiction, and news of evil is more interesting than news of good…]
I consulted Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, and read: ‘Among God’s ethical attributes first place is due to God’s goodness’.[4] This is because God’s love, mercy, patience, grace flow from his goodness.[5] And of course all the goodness in the world comes from God’s goodness. If God were not good, there would be no goodness. Bavinck again: ‘[God] alone is the goodness to be enjoyed [praise and worshipped], while creatures are goods that are to be used [and for which we thank and praise God].’[6]
I reflected that if God were not goodness, then he would not forbid and punish evil and badness.
I remembered these words from CS Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, about Aslan.“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
4. Reflect on experiences of this theme or words in our world.
I thought about how dreadful my life would be without goodness, and how our dreadful our world would be without goodness.
I thought with horror of children who experience no goodness in their childhood.
I remembered with thankfulness Bible teachers who have been or are both good and gifted: I compared them Bible teachers who have been gifted but not good.
I remembered with great thankfulness the countless number of followers of Jesus I have met who have been people in whom God’s goodness has been active and evident, who have lived the fruit of the Spirit, including goodness: ‘love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, good ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ [Gal 5:22,23].
Then I reflected on the close relationship and interconnectedness between these various fruit, and their individual and collective beauty.
5. Talk with others about what you are meditating on and pondering.
I had many fruitful and enjoyable conversation on the topic of God’s goodness over these weeks. Most commented that they had not thought about this before! We were encouraged as we pondered and reflected on this aspect of the Bible’s teaching about God, and how precious goodness is in our experience, and our world.
6. Pray to God with the content of your meditatioN.
Thank God, praise God, confess your sins, bring your laments to God, and ask him to reveal himself to many people, and draw them to faith in Christ, and to bring his people to maturity in Christ, for his glory.
There were plenty of opportunities to do this, by myself, and with others.
Let us pray together!
Gracious God, show us your goodness, continue your goodness to us, help us praise and thank you for your goodness, work your goodness in our lives, and reveal your goodness and lovingkindness in Christ to your world, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
With warmest greetings,
Yours,
Tremper Longman III, Psalms, TOTC, IVP/IVP Academic, 2014, p. 137, suggests that goodness and love function as the shepherd’s sheepdogs, helping the sheep to go in the right direction! [A nice complement to Francis Thompson’s poem, ‘The Hound of Heaven’!
We could also include Romans 11:22, and Ephesians 2:7. Some translations use ‘kindness’, but ‘goodness’ is also possible. ↑
- Gravity and Grace, London, Routlege and Kegan Paul, 1963, 62-63 ↑
- Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Baker, 2004, Vol 2, p. 210. ↑
- Reformed Dogmatics, 210-216. ↑
- Reformed Dogmatics, 212. ↑