“But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.”
Psalm 1:2
How do you let the promises you read in your Bible take root in your heart?
Let me share how the Lord helped me do this. As a young believer, I was tormented by fear. I even thought I had committed the unpardonable sin, and the enemy kept telling me I was going to lose my mind.
One day, I asked the Holy Spirit for a verse. He led me to 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” A sound mind. That was what God said He had given me, even while fearful thoughts were filling my mind.
Whenever fear came, I would speak that verse. I would look into the mirror and tell myself, “God has given you a sound mind.” Sometimes I repeated it over and over until peace began to rise in my heart. It didn’t happen overnight, but as I kept speaking His Word, the truth took root, and fear began to lose its grip.
This is what it means to meditate on God’s Word. The Hebrew word for “meditate” is hagah, which includes the idea of muttering or speaking softly. I kept returning to 2 Timothy 1:7, speaking it and receiving its assurance that God had already given me a sound mind.
Beloved, you can do this too. Take the promise, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). Give yourself time with those words: “The Lord is my Shepherd.” He isn’t only caring for the people whose testimonies you’ve heard. He is caring for you. He knows the need you haven’t told anyone about. You are one of His own.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see your Shepherd’s love for you. Then thank the Lord: “Thank You, Jesus. You are my Shepherd. I can trust You with this.” As you return to that verse throughout your day, let it remind you whose care you are under.
Psalm 1 describes the person who meditates on His Word as a tree planted by rivers of water. Its roots keep drawing nourishment from the water. That is what you are doing as you spend time with His promise: receiving nourishment for your heart from the Lord Himself.
So even if you don’t notice a change immediately, don’t be discouraged. I didn’t experience freedom from fear overnight either. Just keep receiving from the One who loves you. His Word is living and powerful, and just as He used it to bring peace to my troubled heart, He can minister its strength and comfort to yours. Joseph Prince