One simple prayer that has been recommended as a way to help start our day is, “Lord, guide my thinking today”.
We have complete and total control over what we choose to think about, so inviting God to guide us is a form of surrender to Him. It is a willingness to think on a higher plane.
Sometimes, ugly thoughts can seemingly come out of nowhere. For instance, just this morning, out of the blue, I remembered something harsh that someone said to me when I was a teenager, quite some time ago. My head began to be filled with all kinds of unkind words that I might have spoken in response. Fortunately, back then, I said nothing, hurtful or otherwise, and instead, quietly walked away. Thank you, God, that I spoke no words to now regret having said! He must have been guiding and protecting me, even from myself.
The prophet Isaiah invites us to seek the Lord to help think and live in a way that pleases Him rather than following a path that seeks retaliation for hurt pride or pursues some other regrettable action against another. As Isaiah writes in Chapter 55:
6 Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7 (NKJV)
God not only has an abundant resource of purity and love for us to draw upon, but He also has a lot more information than we do. He knows the true causes and conditions that influence others to act the way they do, and He maintains a more accurate and eternal perspective on people and situations than we ever could. As Isaiah continues:
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)
Someone has said, “I can only control from the tip of my nose on back”. In other words, I have no control over the thoughts and actions of others. But I can seek to improve my own level of tolerance and understanding of them, and to better rein in my own reactive thoughts and actions. Do I want to continue thinking, speaking, and acting as if I have never experienced the grace and mercy of God, or do I want to do better than that?
We do have control over how we choose to respond to God and His word. In Matthew 13, Jesus told a parable in which there are four kinds of soil, each representing a different response we might have to the “seed of the Sower”, the word of God.
The hard soil hears the word of God, but it does not penetrate the mind and the heart. It soon gets carried away and lost, and we do not live with regard for the Lord.
Stony soil hears and receives God’s word, but once the seed germinates, there is no depth to allow it survive and grow. We neglect the things of God, and turn away at the first sign of trouble. After a while, it is as if the word had never even been there to impact us at all.
Thorny soil represents those who receive God’s word gladly in their hearts, but eventually, the thoughts and cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches lure us away and crowd the word out, so that any spiritual growth gets choked off and dies on the vine.
Finally, the good soil represents those who hear and retain God’s word in their hearts and minds and reflect on it to allow it to bear good fruit in our lives. God will continue to use these faithful to positively impact and draw others to His kingdom. They are not perfect people, not by a long shot, but they are willing to follow the Lord and seek to bear fruit for the kingdom as the Father prospers.
A good Bible teacher recently pointed out that we all have a choice over which type of soil we want to be. We can ask God to guide our thinking to become good soil. By valuing and nurturing His word, and retaining it in our hearts and minds, we are able to bloom and grow, to bear eternal fruit that will bless God’s kingdom and those who are around us.
May the Lord help us to live on higher plane and guide our thinking today.
Reflection
What ugly thoughts do I struggle with the most with today?
Some common ones are hated, desire for revenge, lust, covetous cravings or yearnings, resentment, self-pity, unforgiveness, self-hatred, just to name a few of the conditions that plague us due to our sometimes-ungodly nature. We turn to God for a higher, better way.
Lord, guide our thinking today to calm these unholy stirrings in our minds and spirits. Fill us to overflowing with Your healing love, forgiveness, serenity, and peace. Help me listen and understand what You are telling me through Your word today. May I choose to become that good soil that will bear fruit to Your glory and help add to the growth of Your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a peaceful day in the joy of the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 