The Rest of the Story
Last time I talked about being awake at 4 in the morning and telling God that I had wasted so much time. I wanted to write a little more about that because I realized, later, that I gave you an incomplete picture of all that happened. So, here is the rest of the story.
I have some Bible verses in my phone that I try to read and pray through every day. One of those verses is this one. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
For a long time, when I would think about what offends God, they would be things like pride, hatred, selfishness, greed and so forth. But, before the "offending" part, the prayer asks for God to know my anxious thoughts. So, I am not a Bible scholar but I think God is saying that he cares about what we think and wants us to be free of thoughts that make us anxious or afraid. I can't tell you what all of those thoughts are but I can tell you that my thinking I had wasted time and then dwelling on that regret would be one of them.
We all have regrets and we can't change what has happened in the past. What we can do is use them to change our thinking and our actions so we can have the future that God has planned for us. I think I was carrying more than I needed to and it was weighing me down and keeping me stuck. Maybe anxious thoughts offend God because they keep us from all the good things he has for us, the everlasting way if you will. I read recently about a brain science study. Scientists say that when we are afraid the front part of our brain is shut down. That is the part of our brain they say we reason with. Umm? Might be hard to make good choices without good reasoning.
So, I wanted to tell you all that so I could brag. I want to brag about how good God is and how faithful he is to hear and answer our prayers. It wasn't immediate. I didn't get a response right after I prayed. But later when the time was right and I was quiet and able to hear him, he pointed out an anxious thought. You have to know that I am not some special case. I believe that if he did it for me, he will do it for you if you ask.
Here is something else to go along with all that. I believe that if we ask God to point out our anxious thoughts he will answer us. And when his answer comes it will come with the power to change those thoughts into ones that are true and come from him. Also, I think that if it comes from him, it can be found in the Bible which is a good reason to read it. I might also say that because he is faithful, God has reminded me of a couple of ways he has used me in the past, just to reinforce his point and keep me from focusing on regrets.
If you have read this far, thank you. I am honored that you took the time to hear what I would say. I would like to hear from you. Please consider signing up to follow my blog so you can make comments and not miss any posts. Last time I talked about seeing my blog as a chance to connect with friends. I am not looking for adulation just thoughts about what I wrote. Do you agree or not? Do you see it differently? How can I and others who would read the blog pray for you? So let's be friends. Sign up today. Let me know if you have problems signing in and I will try to help you work out any technical difficulties. Thanks a lot guys. Have a great week.
I have some Bible verses in my phone that I try to read and pray through every day. One of those verses is this one. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24 NLT
For a long time, when I would think about what offends God, they would be things like pride, hatred, selfishness, greed and so forth. But, before the "offending" part, the prayer asks for God to know my anxious thoughts. So, I am not a Bible scholar but I think God is saying that he cares about what we think and wants us to be free of thoughts that make us anxious or afraid. I can't tell you what all of those thoughts are but I can tell you that my thinking I had wasted time and then dwelling on that regret would be one of them.
We all have regrets and we can't change what has happened in the past. What we can do is use them to change our thinking and our actions so we can have the future that God has planned for us. I think I was carrying more than I needed to and it was weighing me down and keeping me stuck. Maybe anxious thoughts offend God because they keep us from all the good things he has for us, the everlasting way if you will. I read recently about a brain science study. Scientists say that when we are afraid the front part of our brain is shut down. That is the part of our brain they say we reason with. Umm? Might be hard to make good choices without good reasoning.
Here is something else to go along with all that. I believe that if we ask God to point out our anxious thoughts he will answer us. And when his answer comes it will come with the power to change those thoughts into ones that are true and come from him. Also, I think that if it comes from him, it can be found in the Bible which is a good reason to read it. I might also say that because he is faithful, God has reminded me of a couple of ways he has used me in the past, just to reinforce his point and keep me from focusing on regrets.
If you have read this far, thank you. I am honored that you took the time to hear what I would say. I would like to hear from you. Please consider signing up to follow my blog so you can make comments and not miss any posts. Last time I talked about seeing my blog as a chance to connect with friends. I am not looking for adulation just thoughts about what I wrote. Do you agree or not? Do you see it differently? How can I and others who would read the blog pray for you? So let's be friends. Sign up today. Let me know if you have problems signing in and I will try to help you work out any technical difficulties. Thanks a lot guys. Have a great week.
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