Yesterday’s post taught us three things about confidence from Psalm 27. I wanted to take this a quick step further by reminding us (you and me!) how to apply these truths to our life. Remember, all our study of God’s Word is for naught unless we are doers of what we learn (James 1:22). So we saw that:
1. David talks to himself instead of listening to himself.
Remember Monday’s post: The importance of winning the battle in our mind. How’s your battle going? Oh man, girls, I’ll level with you — the war has been raging in mine. Here’s what this means for me, whenever my mind “wanders” to the area of anxiety or hurt or insecurity or discouragement, we must speak the truth to our hearts. Here’s a few of my favorites to get you started.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 43:5
When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:19
Your turn: What are your favorite scriptures to speak to your soul?
2. David remembers the frequent deliverance of the Lord.
Remember the stones of remembrance? We must do whatever is takes to remind ourselves of all the glorious things God has done. This past week I was feeling discouraged and I went back and re-read a blog-post that detailed the amazing way that God miraculously provided our house situation exactly two years ago. It encouraged my heart in two ways: 1) God DID miraculously provide this home for us, so if He wants us to stay here we can rest in His good pleasure. 2) If God does want to sell it, He’s MORE than capable of doing so, and He’s done it miraculously before! So either way it reminds me how big — and how tenderly and intimately loving — our glorious God is.
Your turn: What has God done for you? How can His past faithfulness increase your present trust?
3. David strategically prepares through “worst-case” thinking.
This really can be a helpful way to process through our fears in light of God’s power. IF everything fell through, what would happen? As I take every anxiety and, in light of who God is, carry it out to the “worst-case-scenario” I soon realize that at the end of the imagined disaster God is still good. I’ll spare you my “worst-case” scenarios but go ahead and think about something that frequently causes you anxiety. Write it down. And then what? And then what? And then what? Quit letting the “what ifs” lurk in darkness. Shine that big ol’ light on them and see that in the midst of that darkness God is still our great and glorious (and tenderly loving) God.
Your turn: What’s your “worst case scenario”? At the other end of the disaster, who would God be? An further … who would you be?
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Thanks for processing with me. I pray that godly confidence can grow up in our lives and flourish, reflecting the strength and power of our great God. Bless you guys, and thanks for reading.
One thought on “(Applied to Life) Psalm 27 {Confidence}”
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Kari, this is so timely for me. I struggle with anxiety and one of the tactics that has been helping me lately through some tough things is doing the “worst case thinking” exercise. I follow it through to the WORST conclusions I can think of…and often just the act of processing the steps in my mind like that makes them less powerful. I find that I get to the “worst case” and am more able to say, “Huh. Well, yeah, that would be bad.” I have to do it over and over with some problems but it does seem to help!