How To Pray Bible Verses And Calm Your Overthinking In The Middle Of The Night

Thoughts were swirling around in my head once again in the middle of the night interrupting my sleep.

Worries about what is ahead and “shoulding” myself about what was in the past kept me wide awake. Can you relate?

I finally decided to just get up and do my quiet time. I love when God gives us exactly what we need to hear. That special morning, it felt like a kiss from God.

I have been reading, *Breath as Prayer, a devotional that combines God’s Word and breathing as a way to calm your anxieties and worries. I share more this amazing book on my Depth Podcast this week; it is my final summer recommendation, and I highly encourage you to check it out.

As I opened the devotional, I was immediately intrigued by the title: You Can Turn Your Thoughts.  

After my sleepless night of overthinking, I could see God’s perfect timing in my reading this message of truth! Maybe you need to hear this too.

Sharing the familiar Philippians 4:8 verse, Jennifer Tucker, the author of the book, encourages us to inhale: “Lord Turn My Thoughts” and exhale: “to what is _____” and then she listed the words in the verse: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, worthy of praise and asks us to choose one or more to focus on in prayer.

I was captivated with what she wrote. Could it be that easy? I knew I needed to try this, so I opened up my journal and listed each descriptive phrase on a separate line.

As I started to dive deeper, I decided to look up the verse in other translations to fully help me understand each word.

This is when the Bible came alive for me!

I cannot begin to describe to you the sweet time with God I had. Using the tools I learned from Angie’s 5 step Bible study method, I compared translations, looked up the original meaning of the words, and read some commentaries on the verse.  (If you want to hear more about these amazing Bible study tools, check out Depth Podcast Episode 210 with Angie Baughman on the 5 Step Bible Study Method – it is one of my favorites this year and has revolutionized my bible time).

Let me share with you what I learned from my in-depth study:

As I compared translations, it said, “Think about these things”.  Others said “Fix your thoughts or focus your mind”.  I loved one version that said, “Fasten Your Thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.” The commentaries also had helpful insight!

“What We Choose To Meditate On Matters!”

This statement was so powerful– Where you focus your mind matters! Where I fix my thoughts matters too!

Going back to Paul’s words in Philippians, He gives us eight words where we should fix our minds on. I want to share them with you below and include all the variations from the different translations- this helped me so much and I hope it helps you too!

1. TRUE, Real, Authentic
2. NOBLE, Honorable, Honest, Respected
3. RIGHT, Just, Righteous
4. PURE, Wholesome, Holy,
5. LOVELY, Beautiful, Brings Peace,
6. ADMIRABLE, Good Report, Reputable
7. EXCELLENT, Virtue, Moral
8. WORTHY OF PRAISE

I encourage you to write these in your journal and list some thoughts next to each one, so when your mind takes a turn for the worst, you are ready to combat it with God’s Word and truth!

That same morning, I went for a walk and prayed with God. (Thanks Mark Batterson for your Circle Maker book and encouraging prayers walks). Thanking God and offering praise where I see Him moving in my life as well as asking for His peace, guidance, and strength were at the top of my list.

Friend, Praying God’s Word is powerful!

Next time our thoughts go astray, let’s choose to shift our focus. We can breathe in, “God Turn My Thoughts” and breathe out: “to what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, worthy of praise!

I hope and pray this encourages you as much as it did me!

Love, Jodi