Soul Talk

Late the other night as my husband Philippe and I were driving home from a service at our church, the name of a dear friend popped up on my caller ID. Knowing it must be urgent, I tapped the green button to hear, “Jan, I’m so afraid!” Probing a bit, I discovered she was home alone, entrapped by anxious thoughts racing ninety to nothing. Having recently experienced a potentially serious medical diagnosis, our friend was being held hostage by the torment of her own imagination.

After listening to her fears, Philippe reminded our friend of the words of King David in Psalm 103. “Did you know you can tell your soul to bless the Lord?” Philippe said. “David command his soul—the realm of his mind, will, and emotions—to praise God, to bless the Lord and not forget any of His benefits. David then rehearses the myriad ways God has blessed him through forgiving his sins, healing him of all disease, redeeming his life from the pit to crown him with love and compassion. We can do that too, right now!” As we prayed, proclaiming God’s faithfulness, singing songs of praise together, God kept His promise to inhabit our praises. Peace was restored as her soul blessed the Lord.

I’m pretty sure we all talk aloud to ourselves, perhaps even more than we realize. But have you considered the possibility that your thoughts often engage in a negative dialogue, your mind interacting with emotions like fear, self-condemnation, anger, or despair? Sometimes we berate ourselves for the foolish things we’ve done or the essential things we’ve neglected to do. Other times, we lose ourselves in a labyrinth of futility, replaying past events or horribilizing over future “what ifs.” As we interact with these troubling thoughts, the very cells of our bodies are listening in, eavesdropping on the negativity of our souls, responding with physical manifestations of stress and anxiety.

But God has designed us with a will to choose what we will serve, including our thought life. We can hold those thoughts captive in obedience to Christ instead of becoming imprisoned by the power of the prince of the air. As Martin Luther once said, “You can’t keep a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep him from making a nest there.”

Today’s world is rife with strife, yet the One who created us is relentlessly inviting each of His children into a place of refuge, a safe house where we can rest secure. What if you were to choose each day to command your soul to line up with the truth of God’s word? Psalm 42 speaks of a parched, downcast soul yearning for a touch from the living God. The psalmist asks, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” His inner dialogue is met with an immediate response, “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The psalmist’s emotion of despair yields to his will to overcome it as he commands his soul to put its hope in God.

Try this little exercise the next time you’re bombarded with unwelcome thoughts. Simply pray, “Jesus, what’s the source of my troubling thought?” Be still and listen, writing down the first thought that comes to mind and releasing it to the custody of Jesus, the Restorer of your soul. Then ask, “Jesus, what thought do you have for me to replace that troubling thought?”

His thoughts will always be in accord with Philippians 4:8—whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, worthy of praise. Once again, write it down, paying attention to how your mindset shifts as your thoughts come into agreement with God’s word. Commit this new thought to Him as He renews your mind and restores your soul. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5

Joyfully serving Him with you,
Jan de Chambrier
MICN Prayer Ambassador