Put Down Your Phone, Write Out a Psalmਨਮੂਨਾ

Can we just talk about David’s confidence for a minute?

David has such confidence and boldness. Sometimes it’s almost offensive, especially for us readers in an age of cynicism and doubt. Like, “Okay dude, pull back a bit, settle down.”

David asserts that he is:

• Wiser than his enemies (98)
• Has more understanding than all his teachers (99)
• Understands more than the aged (100)

It’s not even a humblebrag.

It’s a matter of fact to him! But each of these statements is a conceit connected to and dependent upon something that does not originate from himself.

• He is wiser than his enemies because the commandments are always with him (98).
• He has more understanding because God’s decrees are his meditation (99).
• He understands more than the aged because he keeps God’s precepts (100).

These aren’t bold claims about who he is so much as they are truths he is speaking over his life that come from the word of God itself. As a result, his reality, mindset, and view of his own self align with God’s view of him. Which is pretty incredible.

Reflecting on God’s word brings wisdom, setting the individual apart. In this age of cynicism and doubt, what do you think about that?

It’s easy to reject statements like that on their face, because we know, inherently, that they aren’t true in our natural state. And yet we can walk right into the reality, receiving that very standing.

What David just did there, declaring truth over himself about who he is because of God’s word, is an incredible tactic to use if you feel terrible about yourself, where you’ve been, or what you just walked through.

We can talk ourselves into a place of confidence and belief by declaring God’s word: what it is and who it says we are. This type of meditation and declaration serves as an act of persuasion, perhaps even a plea. Not with God, but with reality itself, to bend back into alignment with God’s view of who we are.

So, today, my friend, declare God's truth over yourself!

Action steps

• Get a journal or some paper and a pen.
• Put your phone in a drawer or another room.
• Get a physical Bible (so you won't get distracted by anything else).
• Take time to write out Psalm 119: 98 -100 verse by verse.
• Reflect on what God is highlighting as you write it out.