Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
A Meditation When You Feel Disregarded by God from Isaiah 40:25-28
16:09 | 09-05-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Isaiah 40:25-28 NIV25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Lifting the Eyes of Your Heart to the Heavens from Isaiah 40:25-26
20:58 | 08-29-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Isaiah 40:25–26 NIV25 “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Imagining Only Goodness and Love Following You Everyday from Psalm 23:6
20:30 | 08-22-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Psalm 23A psalm of David. 1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.Jesus said…John 10:14–15 NIVI am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.John 10:27–28 NIVMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Having a Calm Confidence In the Darkest Valleys of Life from Psalm 23:3-4
29:55 | 08-15-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.David writes…Psalm 23:1–4 NIV1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.Jesus said…John 10:14–15 NIVI am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.John 10:27–28 NIVMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Imagining Your Life’s Security When God Is Your Good Shepherd from Psalm 23:1-3
17:35 | 08-08-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.David writes…Psalm 23:1–3 NIV1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul.Jesus said…John 10:14–15 NIVI am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.John 10:27–28 NIVMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Your Life When God Is Your Good Shepherd from Psalm 23:1
23:37 | 08-01-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.David writes…Psalm 23:1 NIVThe LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Jesus said…John 10:14–15 NIVI am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.John 10:27–28 NIVMy sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.David writes…Psalm 34:8–10 NIV8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.Jesus said…Matthew 6:32–34 NIV…Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.The apostle Paul writes…Philippians 4:11–13 NIV…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.You can say quietly: “God is present. He is in this moment with me. And I can trust him as my Good Shepherd.”Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Resting and Sleeping Secure from Psalm 3
21:08 | 07-25-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Acts 17:28 NIV‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’Psalm 3:1–5 NIV1 LORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! 2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” 3 But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. 4 I call out to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy mountain. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.You can say quietly: “God is present. He is in this moment with me. And I can trust him.”“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Resting and Sleeping Secure from Psalm 4
22:27 | 07-18-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Psalm 4:8 NIVIn peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.Psalm 4:1 NIVAnswer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.You can say quietly: “God is present. He is in this moment with me. And I can trust him.”“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on Feeling the Shalom of God in Your Body from Psalm 150
17:19 | 07-11-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Psalm 150:1–6 ESV1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!With your breath given to you by God, praise him. Lift up – elevate – him in your mind and heart. Worship him. With each in-breath focus your mind on your life given to you by the I AM. With each outbreath focus your mind on submitting your life to him. Submitting your body to him. Submitting your anxieties, your concerns, your regrets, your insecurities, your successes, your hopes – your past, present, and future – to him. And feel the sensation of that submission to God – the I AM – into your body. Feel God’s Shalom flowing throughout your entire body. And say quietly: “God is present. He is in this moment with me. And I can trust him.”“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.
A Meditation on God As Your Maker from Psalm 149
21:06 | 07-04-2023
In Christian meditation, we are re-aligning ourselves vertically. We're remapping our horizontal realities with a vertical view/perspective. Enabling us to embody that vertical perspective replaces anxiety and tension with a calm confidence.If your podcast app is set to skip the silent sections, disable that in your podcast app for this podcast.Jesus viewed the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) as ultimately written by God’s Spirit (see Mark 12:36). He quoted from the Psalm more than from any other Old Testament book. He obviously immersed himself in the Psalm because he quoted them verbatim from memory. So I want to have the same view of the Psalms that Jesus had, and use them in my own meditation as Jesus did so often.Psalm 149:1 ESVPraise the LORD!Psalm 149:2 ESVLet Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!Psalm 149:4–5 ESV4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.“The LORD” in our English Bibles is indicating that in Hebrew God’s name, Yahweh, is used. Yahweh is the ancient Hebrew verb form for “HE IS.” God’s name in the Hebrew scriptures is used more than any other term for God. More than “God” is used. When we survey the various truths associated with God’s name, HE IS, in the Hebrew scriptures (what we call the Old Testament), four important aspects of God are emphasized. HE IS the Creator and Sustainer of ALL that exists, including this entire universe. HE IS the Giver and Sustainer of ALL life everywhere always. HE IS Eternally God. HE IS ALWAYS 100% present with you and focused on you in every present moment (without being any less present or focused anywhere else in the universe, because HE IS infinite). These four realities of what God’s name means are easy to memorize, and so to remember them when you “Praise the LORD” will help you replace anxieties and self-protective guarding with a calm confidence and peace.Who can you share this podcast with? If you found this episode helpful, consider sharing it on social media or texting it to a friend you think might benefit from it.Follow Dave Cover on Twitter @davecoverFollow A Bigger Life on Twitter @ABiggerLifePodOur audio engineer is Matthew Matlack.This podcast is a ministry of The Crossing, a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located.