By Patrick Hawthorne
Thoughts…they bombard our minds. Evil thoughts, negative thoughts, troubling thoughts, thoughts of doubt – they attack without mercy. Day and night the war wages on. Fiery darts of doubt strike with pin point accuracy causing us to cry out, “Oh wretched man or woman that I am, who or what can or will deliver me?”
On the outside our appearance may be one of strength, of one who has it all together. Yet, we know that if they – the world – could truly see us, see our inner self, they would know that it is all a façade. Tears flee from us. Our eyes have become as a dry well.
I reach for my Bible. Silently, I turn the pages. My eyes rest on my redemption. “Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” I ponder the words… “Bless the Lord, O my soul…Bless the Lord, O my tormented mind.
From within the depths of my soul, hope begins to rise. “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” I continue to read, muttering to myself. My eyes drift from word to word. “And forget not all His benefits.”
Slowly, steadily, a light is reawakened within me. I whisper the words… a prayer of faith. “Oh Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet. It is a light unto my path.* Faith resurges. “It is Your Word, O Lord, that calms the war raging within me. It is Your Word that restores my joy and my peace. Thank You Jesus, for You are the Word. You are my Light… You are my peace, my joy, my strength…”
“You, O Lord, have forgiven all my iniquities. You O Lord have healed all my diseases. You, O Lord, have redeemed my life from destruction by crowning me with Your loving kindness and tender mercies.” **
On the outside my appearance is one of strength, for on the inside the Word has strengthened me. My mouth, my heart, is satisfied with good things; my youth is renewed like the eagles. “Oh wretched man that I am,” is but a fleeting memory as I walk in the goodness of my Savior. Thank You, my Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit. I am at peace… I am of sound mind.
*Psalm 119:105; **Psalm 103:1-5
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Well said. You nailed it.
We go about, “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” And Proverbs 25:28, “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.” Than we have, “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
I took me forever to learn that I could practice some mindfulness, become aware of my thoughts and seize control of them, so this is one of my favorite subjects. It’s no fun being tormented. Too much of me and not enough of Christ and that’s always a disaster. 🙂
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You said it perfectly…Whenever I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders, the Word of the Lord lifts it right off IF I ALLOW it.
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Wonderful article! I especially love this, because Psalm 103 is my favorite scripture.
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Mine too Linda…I walk around all the time quoting verses 1-5.
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The Word of God is so amazing, producing faith and hope.
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Yes sir…and peace and joy. I think we could write a song. 🙂
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Yep! LOL
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This really encouraged me this morning. It is so amazing the power of God’s word. It calms me. It gives me peace. It gives me hope.
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Yes mam’. It’s amazing how I can be Mr. Grumpy Pants but as soon as I open the Word and begin reading, a calmness and a joy comes over me.
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