Preaching to Yourself

The Bible has a lot to say about anxiety and worry. One Old Testament expression for “anxiety” is “tumbling thoughts”. We all know what this kind of anxiety is like: our fears and uncertainties have a way of “snowballing” on us. Before we know it, our thoughts are flooded with worries – one worry following closely on the heels of another. This can be overwhelming and depressing.

According to the Bible some of our anxieties spring from legitimate concerns, such as the “cares of this life” (Matt. 13:22), pleasing our spouses (1 Cor. 7:33-34) or the work of the Lord (2 Cor. 11:28). But we should be careful that these legitimate concerns don’t overwhelm or dominate us. If we give in to doubt we are in danger of making the Word of God unfruitful in our lives (Matt. 13:22). How do we prevent that?

Martin Lloyd-Jones once wrote: “The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self... Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” This is what the apostle Paul instructed us to do in Phil. 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

We find numerous examples of this in the Psalms. In Psalm 73 Asaph wrestles with injustice, but finds peace when he starts preaching to himself (v. 16-23). In Psalm 103 David finds comfort when he reminds himself of God’s benefits and character. This is what Jesus instructed us to do. Even when legitimate concerns press in on us, we should remind ourselves that our Father will take care of us (Matt. 6:25-34).

There are a lot of uncertainties in life, but God’s character and promises are not among them. The Lord will never change; neither will his Word. The next time worry tries to ambush you, “preach” the certainties of God’s Word to yourself. Pray to God and preach to yourself – these are the first steps to fighting anxiety and worry.

Because of Christ,
Pastor Pieter