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When anxious thoughts filled my heart, your comfort brought me joy. —Psalm 94:19, REB
So often our thoughts determine the mood of our days, coloring and even creating the experiences of our lives. We often don’t recognize that we can make a choice to bring more positive thoughts into our minds, and that when we choose other ways of thinking, we’ll change the way we feel.
So perhaps when we find ourselves laden with anxieties and worries, we can try replacing our heavy thoughts with lighter and more uplifting ones. We can bring to our minds the thought and image of God’s care for us. We might imagine ourselves being comforted by God and held close. As we consciously and deliberately choose images and thoughts of comfort and joy, we will find sadness or anxiety giving way to joy and optimism.
“O God who loves me, help me when I find myself…
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Thank you for providing an opportunity to change my thoughts! I’ve been reading the meditations from the Word Among us almost every morning for over 5 years. It started with 2 1/2 years in prison. It has helped “form my thoughts” as I start each day and has led me closer to thoughts of God. Thank you. I look forward to finally subscribing for full access!
Welcome back drose.
God loves you more then you’ll ever comprehend. Keep growing and you will find more joy then you ever imagined.
I too have been using the Word Among Us for just about 3 years now and find it most uplifting and keeps me in tune with the God who loves me so much in spite of my many failings.
I am so full of anxieties today and thank God I’ve read this article and I change my thoughts to a lighter situation and try to remove all the worries and even if i am busy, after reading this, i’ve decided to have a night out with old friends. Thank you WAU you are always my comfort and consolation. This website somehow helps me to connect to God always even if i am always busy in with my job. More power WAU…
Thank you for this article. We get so busy and so caught up in our daily lives and obligations, thinking that it all depends on “us” that we forget Who ultimately is in charge. “He will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.”
In my State, 500 people are getting layoff notices from a large company today. 25 people were let go from my place of employment yesterday. My heart hurts for these 500 hundred and my now former coworkers. Having been in that position myself many times, I know what they are feeling and I am praying for them. Please keep these people in your prayers.
It’s true, it is too easy to get swallowed by the world and it’s cares, because they are many. I often think that everything depends on me, as well, and that I need to do it all alone, and by the time we turn the lights out for bed, too! I still have a job, so I am blessed, although I have taken a painful pay cut (which is supposed to be temporary) and I will certainly pray for everyone who lost a job, or found him or herself making less than before. We must find that place, that quiet place, and turn it all over to God and be at peace, and be there for one another at this, and at all, times.
I Praise and thank God,for WAU - and the lay men and women who share their lives and bring out the message of the gospel. Thank you for this article and the encouragement it gave me - I shall make the prayer at the end,my daily routine,along with Ps. 94 :19.
God Bless you and your work for the Kingdom !
I need to say this prayer at the start of the day, at the end of the day and throughout the day. Despite some progress made in recent years through the practical steps of counseling and meditation, dealing with anxiety and depression are an ongoing struggle. I need God’s grace daily to accept the pain of life as a means to a deeper faith and reliance on God and also to let go of the anxiety and negativity that obstruct my reception of God’s love and blind me to the omnipresent gift of God’s joy that I often don’t see and sometimes don’t believe exists for me.
Thank you WAU for this article. I made up my mind today not to let my thoughts especially the negative/sad ones to influence my mood. i know it wont be easy but am going to rely on God’s grace and the suggestions given above. thank u once again.
The point is we sometimes forget that in everything He is in control. We have this tendency of wanting to do things on our own, as if all powers lie within us. But at those moments of torments, anxiety, disturbances, that is when is plans are in motions. And down the road when look to those days you can’t but see his handwork at the time. Dwelling in his comfort is important as well as trusting. I am in dire need of a good job, none seems to be on the way, the one i had succeeded in getting has been denied. But I am trusting that He has a better plan and that is why He is witholding it.