As your sister and your friend, I have a question I need to ask you: Are you talking to yourself? ‘Cause if you’re not, you should be! There are some things you need to tell yourself on a daily basis – because you need to hear them.
Let’s face it: you can be forgetful. (I am, too.) You can get distracted. (I know I do.) There are all kinds of voices you can find yourself listening to. Voices that don’t always – or even often – speak the Truth.
That’s why you need to raise your own voice. Speak it with your own mouth. Hear it with your own ears.
It’s good for you!
Remember that the Psalmist talked to himself all the time.
“Awake, my soul!” Psalm 57:8
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him.” Psalm 62:5
“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.” Psalm 103:1
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits…” Psalm 103:2
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” Psalm 116:7
That’s what I’m talking about… telling yourself the Truth. Reminding your mind, your heart, your soul, your spirit of what is real and right and true.
What God has said in His Word.
What He says about you, about me, about life, about joy, about peace. About hope and healing, repentance and forgiveness. Mercy and grace. About the future and the plans He has for us.
Find those verses that speak specifically to the challenges you face, and memorize them. Repeat them over and over. Put them in your own words. Personalize them. Make them your own statements – your own declarations – of faith.
Don’t let the enemy of your soul or the god of this world or your own flesh fill you with doubt, discouragement, and despair. Don’t let the nightmares on the news or the constant bickering on social media make you heartsick. Don’t fall into grumbling and complaining, speaking – and then believing – the worst.
Hold on to hope.
Hold fast to that which is true.
Preach it to yourself. And then preach it to me, too!
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The words of this hymn — “Be Still, My Soul” — so powerfully and beautifully express what I find my own soul often needs to hear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92fMgMt_Zw
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
(Words by Katharina A. von Schlegel; Music by Jean Sibelius — Public Domain)
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Virtual VBS Assignment:
We’re in Week Two of our free online summer Bible study, Virtual VBS for GrownUp Girls: Holding on to Hope… When Life Is Hard. If you’re participating, here are your instructions:
Read: Psalm 73:14-18, Psalm 103, and Hebrews 11:1-12:3 (for the week)
Memorize: Click to download our free Memory Verse Printables,. This week’s verse is Psalm 42:11.
Reflect (in a journal or notebook or in conversation with a friend or prayer partner):
- What Truth do you need to tell yourself today?
- Which of this week’s Scriptures is really resonating with you? Why?
- Take some time to consider the answer to this question: Where is most of the discouragement and frustration in your life coming from right now?
- What can you do about it? Are there any steps you can take? Things you can change? If not, can you change your approach or your attitude? Or even just begin praying about the situation in a focused and intentional way, speaking Truth over it?
