“Indeed, He did great things for us; how happy we were!” (Psalms 126:3)
This psalm was most likely written by Ezra on the return of the people to Jerusalem, after the captivity. It’s a short psalm of only six verses. The psalm is joyful.
Many of us who have gone through a trial and without a doubt know it was the Lord’s hand that delivered us and helped us, know this joy. There is joy and gratitude to the Lord. We thank the Lord and praise Him. It’s a wonderful time. But quickly we forget. Instead of focusing on the victories, we focus on the difficulties we went through. Paul knew human nature. “In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.” (Philippians 4:8) It’s human nature. It’s a natural thing. If we try to obey this Scripture, soon we find ourselves thinking on the hardships we endured, even though the Lord gave us the victory. This is one area we must work on. Paul shared God’s wisdom to help us, even before scientists who study human behavior discovered the importance of thinking on those things Paul shared in Philippians 4:8. The following is taken from www.cognitivehealing.com/personal-growth/how-thoughts-affect-mind-and-body/#:~:text=Positive%20thoughts%20will%20trigger%20healthy%20emotions%20whereas%2C%20negative,immune%20system%20and%20trigger%20“fight%20or%20flight”%20reaction.
“Positive thoughts will trigger healthy emotions whereas, negative thoughts will trigger negative emotions and adversely affect our health.. Thoughts serve as internal triggers to cause stress and lead to many illnesses if they become habitual. Cumulative stress overtime can suppress the immune system and trigger “fight or flight” reaction.”
There is another negative aspect when we fail to obey Scripture. Our minds revert to the difficulties of life and instead of continuing to praise the Lord Almighty we focus on our problems. We forget that we have a God, a Father Who Loves us, Who has all the solutions, Who has delivered us before and will deliver us again. We spend our free time thinking on how WE can resolve our own problems.
Practicing Philippians 4:8 is a challenge, but well worth it. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (James 3:17) As children of God, who should be living in the Spirit and not like mere man who will be destroyed with this world, need to live in the wisdom of God, the wisdom that comes from above and the wisdom that produces good fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:22-26) We cannot bring forth the fruit of the Spirit if we’re still wallowing in the mud of the natural world. Certainly, we lack wisdom. We need to recognize our need. James gives us a simple solution; ask for it. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5) If we find ourselves thinking on past difficulties and the problems of this present day, we are floundering in the foolishness of this world. We need wisdom.
Think on this. The Lord indeed has done great things for us. Meditate on how He has saved us. Think on how much He loves us to leave heaven and become a man to suffer and die for us, to redeem us, buy us back with His death and shed blood, to offer us a seat with Him in heaven. “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:6)
Comments