The Meditations of my Heart

Ps 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in thy sight,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

RSV

If you had the capacity to hear the thoughts of others would that be desirable? I think it would be hellish if you could not help but hear the thoughts of others. Can you imagine sitting in a large arena and hearing the thoughts of 50,000 people? It is distracting and sometimes annoying enough to overhear, with our ears, what some folks say in public.

If I could hear your thoughts how might my view of you change? If you knew my thoughts, I might feel closer to you and, perhaps, at least at first, feel a bit threatened by you. I suppose it all depends on what you do with that information and insight.

Can you control what you think? To a degree, of course, we can choose to think about something. I am presently choosing to think about, well, thinking. I could choose to think about something else. After I finish this devotional I will give some thought to what I will have for lunch. Choosing not to think about something is more difficult.

It is, however, important to realize that we are not slaves to our thoughts. Sometimes a thought will enter my mind and it will be ugly and cause me some distress. These are thoughts of lust or doubt or fear or rage or sadness (sometimes grief). I can choose to linger on such thoughts or I can just as easily turn my thoughts to things of beauty and splendor. I can dwell on thanksgiving and praise. I can think of all the wonderful gifts God has given me. I can think of the power of the Cross and the certainty of Heaven.

Scripture tells us to think on things that are pure and lovely.

When an ugly or hurtful thought enters my mind, I will not be unduly threatened by it. After all, it is me and my mind that thinks it. I must first face it and know that it is born of my insecurity and my sin. I will eventually gently replace it with that which is pure and lovely.

Lord, let the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you.

There are few emotions so satisfying as the joy that comes from the act of recognition when we see and identify our own thoughts.

A. W. Tozer (1897–1963)

As nothing is more easy than to think, so nothing is more difficult than to think well.

Thomas Traherne (c. 1637–1674)

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit—and man is his own gardener.

James Allen

Man is obviously made for thinking. Therein lies all his dignity and his merit.

Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)

The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought.

Léon Blum (1872–1950)

 The man who idly sits and thinks,

May sow a nobler crop than corn,

For thoughts are seeds of future deeds,

And when God thought—the world was born!

Harry Romaine

There’s something so beautiful in coming on one’s very own inmost thoughts in another. In one way it’s one of the greatest pleasures one has.

Olive Schreiner (1855–1920)