WHEN THOUGHTS SEEM OVERWHELMING
Psalms 34:1-5 NKJV
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
Do you ever find that your thoughts are out of control? In Psalms 118 it speaks of being surrounded like bees. That's a good description for when it seems as if you are being bombarded by thoughts swarming around in your mind. Been there, done that, and didn't like it.
The first thing we must realize is that the swarming thoughts are not coming from God. And if they are not from Him, then I can resist them. What if the thoughts are completely mine? What if the thoughts are a spiritual attack? In either case, we can resist them. Thoughts like these are persistent; it seems as if you cannot escape them. But when Paul wrote the Philippian church, he told them to think intentionally on thoughts that are pure, lovely and had a good report to them. We do not have to give in to tormenting thoughts that bring fear and dread. Thoughts of worry and doubt are to be resisted, not entertained.
The big question is, how do we resist? How do we deal with the tormenting thoughts swirling around in our minds? Time will not let me handle this question in detail, but I can get us started on the right path. We all need a go-to psalm. Our passage for today is taken from the psalm I refer to, maybe more than any of the 150 psalms in Scripture. I have memorized this psalm, and it comes in very handy as it pertains to resisting the negative thoughts that disrupt my peace. This psalm can help me get my mind back on the right track.
I have awakened in the middle of the night with worrisome thoughts troubling me. And it seems as if they are like the tar balls you get when you go to the beach at Galveston. Wipe a tar ball off your feet, and it gets on your hand. Wipe it off with your other hand, and it sticks there. You need an outside agent to effectively deal with tar balls, and we need an outside agent to deal with "tar ball thoughts." So I will begin to speak quietly so as not to wake Joy, as if a girl who can sleep through hurricanes could be awakened by my whispers. "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Then, I begin to speak the rest of the psalm. Many times, I will go back and repeat the psalm and then repeat it again. You don't have to memorize the entire psalm. You can memorize the first five verses and then add on.
But I love how this psalm talks of praising the Lord, boasting in the Lord, and seeking the Lord. And how He delivers us from all our fears. Here's the thing. If it seems strange to you to repeat a psalm over and over, that is exactly what happens with debilitating thoughts. Except this time, your thoughts are framed by God's Word instead of something negative. So, when it comes to getting rid of the thoughts buzzing around in your mind, wash, rinse, and repeat. If you can speak the psalm out loud, it will help you control what is in your head.
How long do you do this? Until you sense a peace in your mind and heart. And you can combine this with the prayer of giving your cares and anxieties to the Lord. Don't be discouraged if this is challenging; the scriptures tell us to put on the armor of God, and we would not need armor if we were not in a battle situation. Don't be discouraged, and don't quit; peace in your mind is worth fighting for. And because you belong to the Lord, you are already on the winning side. When you are quoting Psalm 34, you are blessing the Lord, boasting in the Lord, and magnifying the Lord. You are seeking Him, and He will deliver you from all your fears. When you look to Him, you light up, and you will not be embarrassed or ashamed.
Oh, and one more thing. Psalm 34 does not have to be your go-to psalm. There are 150 psalms, pick one.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You give me strategies to overcome the works of the enemy. I believe Your word is more powerful than any negative thought that comes my way.