Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

The Lord gave his disciples peace and told them, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. There are times when your heart is so troubled over a matter that it overwhelms your emotions and your mind.  You feel horrible and you cannot think straight.  The trouble dominates your prayer life, your Bible reading and your daily fellowship with the Lord.  All you can think about, when you aren’t busying yourself with things to distract you, is your trouble.  Stress over these matters gets so high that it will harm you.  So, you must deal with it appropriately to protect your health, your mind and your fellowship with the Lord.

Here’s how to let not your heart be troubled:

Pray and ask God for help. Phil 4:6-7. You need to pray.  Get with the Lord alone in prayer and sort this out with him.  Whatever you do, don’t react to your feelings or your thoughts.  You will only make the matter worse.  Respond to the Lord and follow what he shows you to do.  The peace of God is very important here because when you are following him there will be peace and when you aren’t there won’t be peace.  If you pray sufficiently, the Lord will help you to do the next right thing.

Patiently calm your feelings.  1 Pet 3:4. The feelings associated with trouble can be so bad that they will affect the way you see everything else, the way you react to what others say, and the way you relate to others.  They can even affect your relationship with God.  He’ll give you peace but you must calm down.

When you are troubled, you think about what’s bothering you.  And when you think about what’s bothering you, you start feeling bad.  Then when you start feeling bad, you are reminded about what’s troubling you.  This is a vicious cycle.

You say, “I’m not going to think about it”.  However, the bad feelings are still there.  Then you ask, “Why am I feeling bad”?  And you remember, it’s the trouble.  And then you start thinking about the trouble, which leads to feeling bad.  And then you have to fight to get your mind off of it again, only to repeat the cycle.  Feelings bring back the thoughts and the thoughts stir up the feelings.

Break this cycle.  Patiently calm the feelings associated with trouble.  Be still and calm down.  Give all of your attention to the Lord.  Walk with the Lord.  Trust the Lord.  Get off this merry-go-round, which isn’t merry, at all.

Turn your mind to good thoughts.  Phil 4:8.  Trouble consumes most, if not all, of your heart and mind.  When you only think about the things in Phil 4:8, you keep from running to the lies and exaggerations of your imagination as you contemplate how your situation is going to turn out.  When the first thought of your trouble comes back, cut it off immediately.  Because once you start thinking about it again, you cannot stop the feelings and anxiety that come with the thoughts.  Put the thoughts out of your mind before you go out of your mind.

Counsel with someone close to you.  Prov 25:11-12.  You must trust a wise reprover.  You may not like what he or she has to say.  Yet, this person must be honest enough with you to tell you the truth and to not take your side just because he or she loves you.  Your godly counselor cannot validate any of your feelings that are based upon your exaggerated claims, your fearful imaginations, your emotional reactions, or your unrealistic perceptions.  You need clear perception not a distorted view of reality.  Follow good, godly counsel.  Have an obedient ear.

Wait on the Lord.  Ps 27:14.  The Lord will work out the circumstances, but you must give him time to handle the matter just right.  And often this takes more time than you want and more patience than you have.  Just trust him to sort it all out.  He will.  And in the meantime, he will give you the courage and the strength to wait patiently on him.

Conclusion: Let not your heart be troubled.  Follow these simple guidelines and the Lord will help you through each trial.