Word Before World by Gretchen SafflesSample

Every Thought Is an Arrow

It was an all-out, knockdown fight to focus my mind during my Bible study this morning. Worries, fears, unresolved questions, and pressing to-dos inundated my mind like water rushing past a broken dam. Every verse I read seemed to stream through one ear and out the other. I huffed a sigh of defeat as the clock relentlessly ticked down the minutes. I knew it wouldn’t be long until I was interrupted by a family member and my time studying the Word would end.

In an act of desperation, I scribbled in my journal every thought engulfing my mind in an attempt to wrangle each one into submission. As I put pen to paper and recorded the worries swirling in my head, something unexpected happened.

By the time I set down my pen and read through what I’d written, I realized that every thought pointed like a blinking arrow right back to my need for Jesus. Though my wrestling match felt like a dead end, it actually led to my desired destination: a heart and mind surrendered to Jesus and settled in his Word (see Psalm 119:105). ⁠

God is able to turn our distractions into detours directing us to our Savior. Time spent wrestling before, during, and after you read your Bible isn’t a waste; it’s a way back to him. ⁠

When the disappointments of yesterday overshadow your soul, let them remind you to let go of the past and hold fast to the Lord, who makes a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert (see Isaiah 43:19).⁠

When grief over a loss overwhelms you, let your tears allow you to experience the comfort of God as you share in Christ’s sufferings (see Psalm 34:18; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 3:10).⁠

When a struggle with sin rages inside you, allow the Holy Spirit to urge you toward confession, repentance, and restoration (see Romans 2:4; John 16:8).⁠

When unfulfilled longings unsettle you, surrender them to Jesus, who fills every hungry soul with good things (see Psalm 107:9; John 6:35).⁠⁠

There is no wasted time when we wrestle our thoughts into submission to Christ and seek to fill our minds with God’s inexhaustible Word. Wrestling is where the sanctification of our souls takes place.

Don’t allow the enemy a foothold in your mind, sister. Wrestle with your wayward thoughts and cast all your anxieties on the Lord. Turn your attention to him, and allow every thought to redirect your mind and remind you to trust his Word more deeply.