It was shaping up to be “one of those days.”
I woke up recently feeling unusually stressed. I didn’t have to think for long about “Why?” At work someone had disagreed with me. I was annoyed. At home, my wife and I were trying to work through a thorny situation with our kids. We were puzzled about what to do. I was thinking about a medical issue. It had me worried.
Perhaps the worst of it was that it was only 7:30 AM. I could feel a tight knot constricting in my mind and a clench to my jaw. I knew from experience this could influence the entire day, not to mention trigger a caution from my dentist not to grind my teeth. Proverbs says, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart” (Proverbs 27:19). My water was troubled, and the reflection was not going to be pretty.
Have you been there? With some collection of issues grinding at you? We’ve all got them. So, how do we cope with them? This verse gives us a clue to the answer. We need God to “direct our hearts” toward his love, remembering the steadfast endurance and patience of Jesus.
Be sure to notice that this verse is a prayer that God would do the directing. The Scripture is not giving us a principle for self-help. It’s pointing to One who can do the helping.
God doesn’t necessarily make the issues go away, but fixing our minds on Christ can become a powerful centering principle. It can rescue your day, a week, or an entire life.
Father God, I ask you today to direct my anxious thoughts to your love and to Jesus who was patient under trial, steadfast in the face of the difficulty, and always focused on your love. Gather up my scattered thoughts and draw them towards a sure and unmovable center.
Throughout This Day: Reflect on what helps you keep your mind fixed on Jesus and his promises when things become difficult. How can you better incorporate these means of grace into your daily life?