How to Have a Healthy Mind

Years ago, a friend and I went through the book “Do You Hear What You’re Thinking?: The art of talking to yourself” by Jerry Schmidt. The theme of the book is that we should not let our minds and thoughts go whatever direction they want to, but rather take them in hand and guide them. Rather than listen to ourselves, we should talk to ourselves.

I thought of that this morning as I went through the next four verses in Ps. 119. First, we need to get our hearts right overall, then when we face issues, often people problems, we will be inclined to do something other than deflate and complain. Because when we let ourselves go like that, we usually take those around us down with us. Notice in the verses below how David rose above it all. There are lessons to learn.

Ps. 119:77-80  Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight.	David is the king of praying for God’s tender mercies for himself. He learned that’s what God is like. And it’s only through God’s tender mercies we will live. He/we can only feel confident praying for that when we know in our hearts that we delight in God’s laws. A tender, obedient, submissive heart, God our father loves to reward with tender mercies.
(78)  Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.	How do I deal with people problems? If someone around me doesn’t like me and poisons others’ perceptions of me, what’s the best way to handle it? It’s not to take vengeance. I know that. David chose not to dwell on it, but rather to turn his mind to God’s precepts, which are codes of wisdom or principles to guide our lives. It takes a strong Christian to cast down imaginations and take into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ like that. (2 Cor. 10:5)
(79)  Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.	Another way to handle people problems is to pray for new people to surround you. David went ahead and dreamed of what kind of friends he’d like to have… those who fear God and that have known (probably from experience) God’s testimonies or stories of how he operates. That’s a great idea and example.
(80)  Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.	Rather than let his mind run wild with defeating thoughts, David talked to himself… literally. He talked his heart into being sound (or healthy) by focusing on God’s statutes or prescribed tasks. That’s another great idea and example. He didn’t listen to himself. He talked to himself, and he reminded himself of God.