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Being a devoted Bible reader, I thought about what my favorite book is in it, but I already knew in my heart it was Psalms, since it has been an enormous help to me when facing dark times. That is because many of the Psalms are laments and perfectly suited for dark times. By that, we learn that the most powerful prayer is a cry for help when life seems chaotic, or we are in direr distress.
For example, numerous Psalms has to do with an enemy that is in some way persecuting the soul of a believer or community. Although, it originally came to a people from long ago, we can relate to Psalms today at a deeper level. Now-a-days, our enemies are not outside of us, but inside of us; they are in our thoughts and attitudes.
It became relatable to me when going through a distressing time
and feeling pressed on all sides, which brought about thoughts of fear,
anxiety, anger, frustration, and confusion. As my Bible laid open to Psalms, I
prayed, one of several times past, for help on how to combat the turmoil within me, and, as I looked down at the page, the Lord must have played a trick on my
eyes, because to my amazement, it appeared as if a word wiggled on it, and
then, a flood of understanding came to my mind that I use God’s all-powerful
word to combat my inner thought life.
The first scripture that jumped out at me was Ps 25.15, “My eyes
are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net” (KJV). The
understanding I received was that the moment we let go of thoughts, and turn, the focus of our attention on Jesus, our feet are plucked out of the net
meaning the many thoughts we get tangled up in. It took off from there, and one
scripture after another jumped out at me or occurred within me along with its deeper meaning, as it says in Ps 119.92, "Unless thy law had
been my delights, I should then have perished in my affliction."
A Similar example is Ps 18.14, “Praised be the LORD, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies” (Confraternity Text). What it says to me is that whenever we realize we are engaged in our thoughts whether they are good or bad, exclaim, “Praised be the LORD” as a prompt or a cue to let go of thoughts, and focus our attention on the LORD; and, in turn, we are safe from our enemies meaning the many empty, vain thoughts that occupy our mind and our time robbing us of being present with the LORD in the moment. While in the moment, listen for God as Prov 8.34 states, “Blessed is the man that hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors" (KJV).
We know God is in the moment when in Ex 3.14, God revealed His name to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM.” I am is present tense; and, when we are present, thoughts cannot enter as Psalm 5.4 states, “For you are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with you."
From Psalms, we also learn that our
thoughts don’t tell us the truth as in Ps 120.1-2, “In my distress I cried unto
the LORD, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a
deceitful tongue.” The lying lips and deceitful tongue are the many small voices within us trying to control us. For example, I may have a thought that says,
“I think I’ll go to the store,” that is a perfectly good thought, and my next
step, but look at the lying thoughts that surround it trying to derail me, “I
hate going to the grocery store, I always have to squeeze the produce to get
the best ones, I can never decide, and then, I have to check expiration dates; it takes forever” (let go of those thoughts).
Sometimes, the lying thoughts sound like good thoughts. For
example, I may have a thought that says, “I think I’ll lose a few pounds,” that
is a perfectly good thought, but look at the many "good thoughts" that follow it. “I’m
going to get really fit, eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise two hours a day, lift weights, get active and go hiking" (it doesn't turn out that way, and sets us up for a downfall; ignore those thoughts).
Other times, the lying thoughts flip when I’m moving away from
God into fleshly territory due to anger, wrath, quarrels (see Gal 5.19-20). For
example, I had a heated argument with my brother, and afterward, while still
fuming, a thought rose up within me that said, "I hate my brother,” but
then, two back-to-back thoughts occurred that said, "He has his things
too; forgive your brother” (see how they flipped, forgiving moves me back
towards God (Gal 5.22-23).
Now, in Psalms, as I come across words expressing an enemy, I realize they can also be in my own thoughts and attitudes, like, an Absalom, out to destroy me; or Pharaoh, keeping me in bondage; or rulers, trying to control me; or a corrupt judge, wrongfully accusing me; or any other types of persecutors mentioned, such as, the unrighteous, the scornful, the scoffer, the mocker, the deceitful, the proud, the flatterer, the treacherous, sinners, that thinks they cannot be seen as in Ps 64.5, "They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, ""who can see us?""
Even so, we also learn that God is above all things, "For I know that the LORD is great; our Lord is above all gods (Ps 135.5, NRSV). By standing firm in His word and trusting in God's mercy, goodness, and might within and without me, it really got me started in quieting my soul, and, in turn, being more present to God and His workings in my life.
Ps 131, “LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: Neither do
I exercise myself in great matters,
or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, As a
child that is weaned of his mother: my
soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and
for ever."