PSALMS 62:5: “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.”

OBSERVATION: Have you ever been reading the Bible and found your mind drifting off in its own direction? You are reading a passage, and then you start thinking of what you have on your schedule or something that happened that week. You catch your mind drifting and go back to reread the passage. The problem is, I had to do this during my entire devotion time this morning!

I find it hard to relax. I find it even harder to quiet my mind. If I lie on my back when I go to bed, my mind keeps whirling at 60 miles per hour. Sometimes this is a benefit, but when you want to hear from the Lord, it is a competing voice that is demanding attention. Then, I read this verse. It caused me to stop. It caused me to cry out to God.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” (Psalms 62:5 NLT)

The Psalm says – “…all that I am…”. This includes my mind. How do I do this? How do I quiet something that is always running in the background? I can sit in one place, I can quiet my spirit, but how do I quiet my mind? Paul gives us some insight into this question in his second letter to the Corinthians church.

“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

I have normally thought of these verses concerning negative or sinful thoughts. Yet, the principle is the same. We can’t flip a switch and turn off our minds. Yet, we can capture our thought process and bring it into submission to Christ.

How do we do that?

We really can only consciously think of one thing at a time. This is why when someone asks you a question while you are thinking about something else, you say, “Hold on a minute! I’m thinking about something!” While we can walk and chew gum at the same time, we cannot consciously think about two things at the same time. While our subconscious may be spinning in the background, our battle is with the conscious mind.

What CD and what track will we allow it to play?

The Psalmist gave me hope this morning. It broke my battle with my rapid-firing brain. As I thought about letting ALL that I am wait quietly for the Lord, I read the very next statement and the following verses.

“…For my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.”(Psalms 62:5b-8 NLT)

As I stopped and began to read these verses over and over again, as I meditated on the faithfulness, glory, mercy, grace, and power of God, as I repeated the words over and over in my mind, something wonderful happened. My mind became quiet and submitted to the Word of God, and I could hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

It was like the change in a movie theatre when the previews come to an end, and the main attraction begins to play. During the previews, there is constant talk and chatter. Yet, when the main event starts, there is a hush of silence over the crowd. As I made a conscious choice to make God’s Word the main event, there was a hush of silence in my mind. My whirling and competing thoughts were quieted, and God had my attention – front and center!

I found the place of quietness and rest!

Why is quieting our mind with the Word of God so important? The enemy knows that God’s Word is the power that will set us free. It will bring us to the throne room of God in full assurance of faith. It will vanquish the deceitful plans he has for our lives and the weakness in our own flesh. It will keep us from being unfruitful in our lives and in our worship of the Lord. Paul reminds us why it is so important to quiet (renew) our minds with God’s Word.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

What is at stake if I don’t quiet my mind, if I don’t “…Let all that I am wait quietly before the Lord…”? Only the knowledge of God’s will for my life. Only the pathway of how to live in a way that is good and pleasing in His sight. Only my peace and the joy of hearing the still small voice of the precious Holy Spirit.

WOW!

Lord help me each day to take time to “…Let all that I am wait quietly before You!”

In Jesus’ Name!