Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Words of Encouragement

Those that have the "blues" are sometimes thinking all the time about troubling things.  Yet, God can sooth the troubled thoughts.


Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught at the voice of the enemy, at the stares of the wicked; for they bring down suffering upon me and revile me in their anger. - Psalm 55:1-3

What's On Your Mind? Troubled Thoughts. I need to take today to speak to those that find themselves depressed or troubled from time to time in their thoughts.  We (meaning the body of believers) have done a disservice to other believers that suffer from depression or troubled thoughts.  We often simply tell them, "Get over it."  If you are doubting or depress or troubled you are just not believing in God.  As if that will make them snap out of the depression.

Instead, I come and hope to offer encouragement from the word of God.  The psalmist writes to speak about his own depression. The writer is speaking about how he is depressed because of the trouble that surrounds him.  Sometimes we need to just not be so "holy" in our action as simply acknowledge our humanness.  We hurt sometimes.  We get discouraged sometimes.  We face so things that just make it hard for us to keep a "stiff upper lip."  Sometimes we are overcome by what we face.

But let me offer us some help today. The psalmist says, listen to my prayers Lord, do not ignore my pleas.  Sometimes when you are going through, you simply believe that God is not listening to you and that he has missed your prayers.  But I come to tell you he hears them.  Not only does he hear them he has the release for your troubled thoughts.

God cares about us and he will give us the strength to overcome that which brings us down.  We don't want to stay down, so we have to look up.  God will tell us "get up."  We wonder how to do that, and can't really understand the message.  Well what he is telling us is this, get up from your thoughts that way you down.  If the thoughts about how to solve your problems are weighing on you, stop thinking on those downard pulling things, and start thinking upward to me.  I am the solver of every problem.  I am the release of every captive.  The captivity of your thoughts can be released by the hands of a mighty God.

Today, I pray for the troubled minds.  I know you might think this is strange, but I ask you right now as you repeat this prayer, to trust God can do it. Repeat after me:

God, take my thoughts today and think through them.
God today I release every care of my mind into your hands.
God today, I release and yield myself to you completely.
Now that I have released myself, I ask that you would impart to me your joy.
I ask that you would give me your peace.  Give me that peace in my thoughts.  Help me to no longer think troubling thoughts that depress me, or bring me down.
Let me have the assurance in my heart that you already know all about my cares and will take care of them.  I trust in you today.  I trust you to help me, to save me and to keep me.
I ask that you would release my mind today from all the things that burden it and depress it.
I am healed NOW by your power.  I have been set free.  I am no longer held captive to the thoughts of my mind.  I am no longer depressed or confused in my mind.  I will now think on things that are pure, lovely and of good report.