The purpose of meditation is relationship

The purpose of everything in our lives is to be in relationship with God. Jesus promises us we will know HIS voice. But we need to practice listening. In meditation, we shut down all other "voices" and hear only HIM.

John 10:27-30 (ESV): My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

If a voice is beating you up and condemning you, that is NOT the voice of God. God convicts and doesn't beat you up. Here's excerpts from a Curt Landry piece to help you know the difference:

​Conviction vs. Condemnation

• Conviction is godly sorrow. It reminds us that we are loved enough to be peaceably redirected for a better outcome.
• Conviction is a work in progress. In Greek, the word, “elencho,” which means “to convince someone of the truth, or cross-examine a witness,” is translated as conviction. The Holy Spirit is a prosecuting attorney in the Courts of Heaven who exposes evil and reveals to us the need of a Messiah. 

Conviction leaves you feeling:

• Loved
• Redeemed
• Clear-minded
• Repentant
• Rejuvenated
• Accompanied
• Free
• Peaceful

Condemnation…

• Condemnation is worldly sorrow. It tells us that we are wrong, that we are unworthy of God’s love, and that we are unable to be redirected. 
• Condemnation feels final. It is as if a timer ran out and we just didn’t make it to the finish line. 

Condemnation leaves you feeling:

• Ashamed
• Rejected
• Confused
• Guilty
• Depleted
• Alone
• Trapped
• Anxious

“Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”—2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (emphasis added)