Thoughtlessness
What do you do when your mind becomes completely blank? I want to study the Word of God but I don't know what to study at the moment. So let's look at thinking as a subject.
1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NASB)
[9] “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with *a whole heart and a willing *mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. [10] “Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”
In our passage it talks of us having a willing mind. Notice that we are not pushed into this. Notice also that the Lord searches our minds, looking for our intent. If you seek him, the Lord will let you find him. But it is some thing that is initiated by us, we have to be willing to follow His plan. Notice also that we serve the Lord with a whole heart, I.e. we are not holding back with a view to serving ourselves. I find it comforting that we are able to find the Lord if we seek Him. The following passage let's us know that the Lord's thoughts are very deep, actually much deeper than ours according to Is 55:9. We can take comfort in knowing that if we align our thoughts to the Lord's thoughts we will be pretty much on target for what we need to do in life. He has already thought it completely through.
Psalms 92:5 (NASB)
[5] How great are Your works, O LORD!
Your *thoughts are very deep.
Notice in this next passage that the Lord knows our thoughts. So nothing we do is going to take Him by surprise. If He knows our thoughts it also means that He knows when we are troubled about something and can help us even when we do not know how to express ourselves. This is where the teaching part comes in, He teaches us to delight in His ways and that we should leave the troubling situations to Him. The concept if chastening involves the Lord disciplining us so that we walk in the right way and have the right attitude about life itself. We are only here for a very short time in comparison to eternity.
Psalms 94:11-12 (NASB)
[11] The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
*That they are a mere breath.
[12] Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O *LORD,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
We may think that we really have things down well, but we have no idea of what tomorrow will bring. The Lord knows and He has thoughts much higher than ours. His plans cannot be thwarted. Again, this passage brings us back to ground zero. We must seek His thoughts and His ways, not our own. Believe it or not He has our best interests in mind.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB)
[8] “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
[9] “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
When we approach things through the word it is interesting to note that scripture will reveal what our real intentions are. Everything is open to the Lord, you cannot escape His gaze. So why do we drift off in our own thought life contrary to the word of God?
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NASB)
[12] For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
We must also be cautious in our words before the Lord and also in our thoughts. Strange that we should be compelled to have restraint, even in our thought life. However, if you think about it, a wandering thought life can lead to mischief.
Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 (NASB)
[2] *Do not be hasty *in word or *impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. [3] For the dream comes through much *effort and the voice of a fool through many words.
So coming across a passage that talks about bringing our thoughts captive (or restrained) actually makes sense now. Our thought life must remain controlled in order to continue doing the will of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB)
[5] We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
Otherwise, we will be drawn away. So what's the purpose here? We bold our thoughts captive so that we are not drawn away from the Lord.
Ephesians 4:13-16 (NASB)
[13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the *knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature *which belongs to the fullness of Christ. [14] *As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness *in deceitful scheming; [15] but *speaking the truth in love, *we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together *by what every joint supplies, according to the *proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NASB)
[9] “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with *a whole heart and a willing *mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. [10] “Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be courageous and act.”
In our passage it talks of us having a willing mind. Notice that we are not pushed into this. Notice also that the Lord searches our minds, looking for our intent. If you seek him, the Lord will let you find him. But it is some thing that is initiated by us, we have to be willing to follow His plan. Notice also that we serve the Lord with a whole heart, I.e. we are not holding back with a view to serving ourselves. I find it comforting that we are able to find the Lord if we seek Him. The following passage let's us know that the Lord's thoughts are very deep, actually much deeper than ours according to Is 55:9. We can take comfort in knowing that if we align our thoughts to the Lord's thoughts we will be pretty much on target for what we need to do in life. He has already thought it completely through.
Psalms 92:5 (NASB)
[5] How great are Your works, O LORD!
Your *thoughts are very deep.
Notice in this next passage that the Lord knows our thoughts. So nothing we do is going to take Him by surprise. If He knows our thoughts it also means that He knows when we are troubled about something and can help us even when we do not know how to express ourselves. This is where the teaching part comes in, He teaches us to delight in His ways and that we should leave the troubling situations to Him. The concept if chastening involves the Lord disciplining us so that we walk in the right way and have the right attitude about life itself. We are only here for a very short time in comparison to eternity.
Psalms 94:11-12 (NASB)
[11] The LORD knows the thoughts of man,
*That they are a mere breath.
[12] Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O *LORD,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
We may think that we really have things down well, but we have no idea of what tomorrow will bring. The Lord knows and He has thoughts much higher than ours. His plans cannot be thwarted. Again, this passage brings us back to ground zero. We must seek His thoughts and His ways, not our own. Believe it or not He has our best interests in mind.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB)
[8] “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD.
[9] “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
When we approach things through the word it is interesting to note that scripture will reveal what our real intentions are. Everything is open to the Lord, you cannot escape His gaze. So why do we drift off in our own thought life contrary to the word of God?
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NASB)
[12] For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. [13] And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
We must also be cautious in our words before the Lord and also in our thoughts. Strange that we should be compelled to have restraint, even in our thought life. However, if you think about it, a wandering thought life can lead to mischief.
Ecclesiastes 5:2-3 (NASB)
[2] *Do not be hasty *in word or *impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. [3] For the dream comes through much *effort and the voice of a fool through many words.
So coming across a passage that talks about bringing our thoughts captive (or restrained) actually makes sense now. Our thought life must remain controlled in order to continue doing the will of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB)
[5] We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
Otherwise, we will be drawn away. So what's the purpose here? We bold our thoughts captive so that we are not drawn away from the Lord.
Ephesians 4:13-16 (NASB)
[13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the *knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature *which belongs to the fullness of Christ. [14] *As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness *in deceitful scheming; [15] but *speaking the truth in love, *we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, [16] from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together *by what every joint supplies, according to the *proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.