Honest With God: Finding Healing and Wholeness Through the PsalmsSample

My friend Billy struggled with panic attacks, but he didn’t know what they were.

He reached out to me after he ended up in the emergency room with what he thought was a heart attack. The staff, instead, began asking him questions about his stress level at work and anything that might be triggering anxiety.

As Billy got language and education about anxiety and panic, he shared about how it felt when he would jolt out of bed, with his heart pounding against his ribs. His mind spiraled through catastrophic scenarios: “What if I lose my job? What if I can’t provide for my wife and kids? Am I losing my mind?”

Billy began to feel like a prisoner in his own mind, trapped by thoughts that seemed to have a life of their own. A student of the Bible, Billy began searching for God’s wisdom as he navigated this battle.

During one of those sleepless nights, desperately searching for anything that might quiet my racing thoughts, he stumbled across Psalm 1. "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2 NIV)

Meditation is the practice of deliberately focusing our thoughts on God's truth rather than allowing them to run wild with fear and anxiety. It wasn't a concept Billy had given much thought to before, but desperate circumstances make excellent teachers.

David understood something about the mind that modern neuroscience is beginning to confirm: we become what we repeatedly think about. In Psalm 1, David compares the person who meditates on God's truth to "a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers." (Psalm 1:3 NIV)

The imagery is striking – a tree with roots so deep they tap into a constant source of nourishment, producing fruit even under challenging seasons because its foundation is secure.

Later, in Psalm 119, David reveals his strategy for spiritual victory: "How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:9-11 NIV)

Billy began hiding God's word in his heart. His daily practice included memorizing, meditating on, and internalizing the truth that would be available when circumstances threatened to overwhelm him. He even memorized short breath prayers, such as Psalm 46:10 NIV (“Be still, and know that I am God”), that he could recite with each breath in and out.

During those panic-filled nights, Billy began the slow work of renovating his thought patterns. Instead of feeding his anxiety with worst-case scenarios, he spoke the truth about God's protection, provision, and presence. Slowly, that tree began to deepen roots by streams of living water.

Remember, if your mind is like a garden, whatever you plant and water will grow. Make sure you're nourishing the right thoughts. In fact, tomorrow’s reading will help you tune into truthful thoughts - see you soon!