Recording 424A, “Meditation – Its Function and Purpose,” from the 1961 Stockholm Open Class, is the basis for Chapter 1, “Meditation: Its Function and Purpose,” in The Journey Back to the Father’s House.
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In this class, Joel firmly establishes that the key to meditation is recognizing that the kingdom of God is within you, and therefore, to contact and experience God, you must go within. Meditation is the way to do that.
What Did You Learn?
First, take a few moments to think about what you learned from this class.
The Recording – 424A: “Meditation—Its Function and Purpose
In this class, Joel touches on several aspects of meditation. First, he points out that because the kingdom of God is within us, we must go within, through meditation, to experience it. He explains why we meditate and why meditation is the foundation of our work. He then takes us through an example of contemplative meditation and points out several obstacles to meditation.
This recording is the basis for Chapter 1, “Meditation: Its Function and Purpose,” in The Journey Back to the Father’s House. That chapter is practically a transcript of the recording. However, if you do not have the book, this summary highlights the key points from the class for review.
Why We Meditate
Meditation is the basis of The Infinite Way work, and the reason is in the 15th chapter of John, which Joel cites this way: “If we abide in the word of God, if we let this word abide in us, we will bear fruit richly. If we do not abide in the word, if we do not let the word abide in us, live in us, we will be as a branch of a tree that is cut off, withers, and dies.”
The human race rarely experiences long periods of peace, health, or happiness because it is cut off from the source of life. If we live a purely human life, we are like branches, each separate from the other and separate, or cut off, from God.
To reunite with our Source, we must dwell in the secret place of the Most High, abide in the Word, and let the Word abide in us. How do we accomplish this? Attending church, praying, and living the ordinary life of a good human have not done it, as is evidenced by the state of the human world.
Jesus said that your righteousness had to exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, and he said that although John the Baptist was the greatest of the Hebrew prophets, the “least of you” would enter heaven before him. In other words, living up to the laws and rules of the church was not enough to gain God’s grace. Paul said that as humans, we are not under the law of God, nor can we be. We are under God’s law, grace, and blessing only if we become children of God. “If the Spirit of God dwells in you,” Paul says, “then do you become the children of God.” As a child of God, you are an heir of God, joint heir to all the heavenly riches.
There are steps we must take before the Spirit of God dwells in us. The Master said that we must pray for our enemies. He told us to enter a sanctuary within ourselves and pray secretly, silently, and sacredly. He told us to do our charitable and benevolent works in secret, not to be seen of men. He made it clear that the kingdom of God is not found in holy mountains or holy temples, because it is within you. There is a Father, a divine Presence within our own consciousness, which is “closer to us than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.” If we are to have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, be in God’s presence, and benefit from God’s power, we must contact this Presence within ourselves.
How We Meditate
Our meditation is not words and thoughts but an inner communion. First, you must recognize and accept that the Father, the divine Presence, or the Christ, is within you. When you close your eyes and shut out the outside world, go within in this spirit:
Father, I am coming to You within me for communion, that I may know Thee aright, for “‘to know Thee aright is life eternal.” I am coming to become acquainted with You. Wherever I am, Thou art, for Thou art here within me. I am in Thee, and Thou art in me, for we are one. I am not seeking favors. I am seeking to know Thee aright, to commune with Thee, to feel the assurance of Thy presence.
I seek to know Thee and to feel Thee within me. If I could feel Thy presence, I could face any situation in life and fulfill all my obligations. I cannot achieve this alone. Thy grace is my sufficiency in all things, but I must be assured of Thy grace and feel Thy presence. I am not sufficient unto myself unless I have Thy presence, Thy grace, Thy wisdom.
This place where I am is holy ground, for Thou art here within me. Thy presence is with me and goes before me. Thy presence is my rock, my foundation, my dwelling place. I live and move and have my being in Thee. Where I am, Thou art. If I mount up to heaven, Thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, Thou art there. If I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art there, for the place whereon I stand is holy ground. Thy presence is my health, my food, my substance, sustenance, safety, and security.
Since the kingdom of God is within me, it is God that says to me, “My peace give I unto thee, not as the world giveth.” God speaks to me from within me. I, this Father within me, assures me that He will never leave me nor forsake me. I can never be outside of the kingdom of God as long as I abide in this word and let this word abide in me.
When you meditate in this way, you are in God’s presence, and God’s presence is in you. Then, as the 91st Psalm says, “None of these evils shall come nigh thy dwelling place,” because you have been living in this secret place of the Most High within you. You have been living in the presence of God within you. You have been living in the word of God, and if you live in the word of God and let the word of God live in you, “I and my Father are one,” and the Spirit of God dwells in you.
In this contemplation, you haven’t asked anything of God. You have assured yourself of the scriptural promises, the word of God. You have reminded yourself of the presence of God. Now, you can turn within and say, “Speak, Lord; thy servant heareth.” Then, for just a minute or two, become completely silent and listen. Eventually, you learn that God is not in the whirlwind, in your problem, or out here in the world. God is in the still, small voice that assures you: “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. I will never leave thee. My presence goes before thee to make the crooked places straight.” There will always be some inner assurance of God’s presence.
In the Infinite Way, students begin with at least three or four meditation periods like this every day, each lasting three to seven minutes. Gradually, as meditation becomes easier and more natural, they can increase the number of meditations and the duration of each one. Meditation becomes our communion with God.
Obstacles to Meditation
Unforgiveness
Jesus said, “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Unforgiveness is a barrier to receiving God’s grace, so if you become aware that you are holding anger or resentment toward someone or not forgiving, turn within and forgive or pray for them. Release everyone: “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do. Open their eyes so they may see and their ears so they may hear. Give them light.” Then, return to your meditation. Now, there is no barrier between you and God, and you are open to receiving God’s grace.
Belief That God Rewards and Punishes
If you were taught that God punishes sin and rewards goodness, and you continue to hold that belief, you cannot enter the kingdom of God, for God does not punish or reward. Jesus taught that God forgives: “Neither do I condemn thee,” ”I will take you into paradise with me this very night.” The Master’s teaching was forgiveness, not punishment.
Belief That God Causes Your Troubles
You may have been taught that some of your troubles come from God. But Jesus revealed that he came to do the will of God—forgive unto seventy times seven, heal disease, and raise the dead. If you notice that you still believe that God visits trouble on you, ask God to forgive you for your ignorance and realize that the nature of God is love and eternal life, in which there is no death. Meditation is an opportunity to purify yourself of these ancient beliefs about God.
People say they love God, but nobody loves God who fears God or believes that God can strike them dead, bring them a disease, or punish them. When you love God, it is because you trust God. Love for God comes when you know that God is love and there is no hate, punishment, or unforgiveness in Him, but only the divine qualities of love, forgiveness, joy, and raising up from sin, disease, and death. Then, you can say, “I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind because I have no fear of God. God is love, and God is in the midst of me, so love is in the midst of me. Love prepares the way for me, supports, maintains, and sustains me, and forgives me when I make mistakes.”
God’s forgiveness enables me to forgive. Of myself, I can do nothing, but by knowing that the Father within me doeth the works, the Father within me forgives. The Father within me heals and raises up.
Belief that God Can Overcome Evil Powers
You may have been taught that God is a great power that can overcome evil powers, but Jesus never taught that. He taught that evil has no power. To Pilate, he said, “Thou couldest have no power over me unless it were given thee of God;” to a crippled man, “What did hinder thee? Pick up thy bed and walk;” and to a blind man, “Open thine eyes.” He recognized that nothing other than God had power, so he never asked God to do anything.
We might go into meditation and be confronted with something that seems to be an evil power. But it wouldn’t threaten us unless we believe it has power. If we have a problem that we would like to see dissolved, in meditation, we can say, “Father, what is this? What is the solution to this problem?” As we meditate, something reminds us, “Fear not. I am with you. This has only the arm of flesh. Fear not; my presence goes with you. God is the only power. I, in the midst of you, is the only power. Do not fear appearances or what man can do to you. I am in the midst of you. Trust Me.”
When we go back to our daily life, we find the problem has a way of dissolving because we received assurance that there are not two powers battling each other, but that this power within me, the kingdom of God within me, is the only power. So, regardless of what I see, the word of God comes to me and says, “Be not afraid. It is I. I am with thee. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Then, the fear dissolves, and when the fear dissolves, the picture dissolves.
Why Meditation Is the Foundation of Our Work
Meditation is the foundation of our work. You could read these words of Scripture in the Bible or spiritual books, but they have no power there. The only power they have is when you are in meditation, going within to your source, and you receive the word of God from within. Then the Word is power, and the “armies of the aliens” just disappear.
The basis and the secret of meditation is: “The kingdom of God is within you.” Since the kingdom of God is within you, you must go within, acquaint yourself with Him, and learn about His function in your life. You must learn about the nature of God so that you never again fear punishment or separation. Nothing can separate you from the love of God—not even your sins—for “His rain falls on the just and the unjust.” Meditation sets us free from the fears and dangers of this world and brings to light divine harmony and divine grace.
Supplementary Recording
We have posted Recording 475A, “Ten Second Meditations,” from the 1962 Princess Kaiulani Open Class. This class expands on our understanding of the profound importance of meditation in daily life. Using the analogy of how seeds grow only when planted in soil, Joel explains that we need to be “planted” in spiritual truth, and he suggests a simple practice called “ten-second meditations.”
Recording 475A was used as source material for Chapter 6, “Pray Without Ceasing,” and Chapter 7, “Planting and Cultivating the Seed,” in The Altitude of Prayer. The recording is posted on the same page as 424A. To listen by telephone, call 1-641-715-3900 and enter 685782#.
Quotations from Joel about the Purpose and Function of Meditation
Joel often spoke about the purpose and function of meditation. Because Spirit always led him, each presentation was unique. Reading and contemplating several excerpts can help us develop a more robust and complete understanding of this topic. We have prepared a collection of some of Joel’s illuminating quotations that reinforce the idea that the kingdom of God is within you and that you must go within in meditation to find that kingdom and benefit from its presence. To access the collection of quotes, click/tap here.