Monday, September 21, 2026

Psalm 119:97-114 

97 Oh, how I love your law! 
    I meditate on it all day long. 
98 Your commands are always with me 
    and make me wiser than my enemies. 
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, 
    for I meditate on your statutes. 
100 I have more understanding than the elders, 
    for I obey your precepts. 
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path 
    so that I might obey your word. 
102 I have not departed from your laws, 
    for you yourself have taught me. 
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, 
    sweeter than honey to my mouth! 
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; 
    therefore I hate every wrong path. 

What do you think about all day? If you’re like most people, then the breakdown is typically as follows: 

·      Miscellaneous and Daydreams – 29% - intrusive thoughts, analyzing the past, future planning, et. 

·      Bodily Needs – 20% - physical awareness and environment. 

·      Work and Tasks – 17% - work, problem solving, to-do items. 

·      Food and drink – 14% - meal planning, hunger, and cravings. 

·      Relationships – 10% - social connections, family, friends. 

·      Leisure and hobbies – 10% - art, games, and play. 

Now, adding to this breakdown of what we often think about is the fact that our brains are wired to be negative at roughly an 80% clip, often repeating the same thoughts every day. 

The Psalmist says, “how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” and he is talking about a truth that all of us can learn from: we are often our own worst enemy and we need some new patterns of thought. 

A great source of those new patterns? God. 

We can access these new ways of thinking through prayer, reading scripture, and spending time in stillness before God. Doing so interrupts our broken patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing and connects us to God’s way of being human which leads to life and life to the full. 

So, as you think about what you think about each day, what are some pieces of scripture that you could use to interrupt those thought patterns? What are the habits of mind in prayer that you could lean on to give you a new way to see yourself and the world around you? 

– Pr. Jason 

God, help me to see the world the way that you do. As one filled with wonder, abundance, and your grace. Renew my heart and my mind so that they pour out your vision for the world and not my own. Amen.