Three Unique Ways To Repeat What You Need To Believe

Reach for God again and again every morning as you read–write His names, His nature, His character, His splendor, His essence in Bible margins along the way–and those descriptions of Him will run through your head when you wake up in the middle of the night:

God is:

Praise-Worthy King,

Grave Robber,

Creator of Clean Hearts,

Searing Jealousy,

Immeasurably Precious Gem,

and Perfectly On Time.

He’s Power-Infused Radiance,

Treasure Beyond Measure,

and Always-Open Door.

God is forever

Glory-Heavy Majesty,

Listening Ear,

Legendary Might,

Never-Failing Hope,

Continually-Proven Love,

and Refreshing Mercy.

Because who God was yesterday is who He is in every past, present, and future moment. But worry can be stealthy and sometimes we forget, or at least I do.

And this slowed reading, this pressing of pen to the paper, makes it all hit a bit differently. I feel like a school girl copying notes because handwriting something is a step towards committing it to memory. But this is no drudgery; it’s sheer joy–a wild, breathless pursuit of God as He appears with every turn of the page.

This morning, wide-awake way too early, I pondered how there’s nothing else I’d rather have running through my head when I can’t sleep than the weighty glory of God Himself.

Willful, Wandering Thoughts

Unless I proactively tell my thoughts where to dwell, they wander willful and easily distracted. I lean into lies that incite fear or unworth rather than lean on the One who knows every tender hope and unspoken prayer.

Unless I proactively tell my thoughts where to dwell, they wander willful and easily distracted (Twyla Franz quote).

Maybe that’s you too.

And you’re ready to change the string of what-if’s and self-belittling on repeat inside your head. Ready to root deep in what you need to believe:

That God’s good in the middle of the story.

Capable even when it appears all’s gone awry.

Worthy of praise long before He brings redemption.

So I want to tuck a few ideas in your hand for holding onto truth–tried and true ones that I personally use. They all hinge on repetition, which I find to be the gentlest, most effective way to adjust trajectory.

Three Ways To Repeat What You Need To Believe

1. Write it down (more than once).

Part of what makes the names of God I’m writing in the margins of my Bible stick in my head is that I’m writing them more than once. First, I write each name as close to the verse that inspired it as I can, as I’m reading my Bible. Then, I pick a few favorites to answer Ann Voskamp’s question in her Sacred Prayer journal, “Who do I say God is today? (Mark 8:29).”

I run out of room fast, because I’m ingesting large quantities of Scripture at the moment (highly recommend Mary Demuth’s 90-Day Bible Reading Challenge). So I often bring more newly-discovered names of God into my answers to the rest of Ann’s questions and my gratitude journal.

The more I re-read, write about, and share aloud the names I’ve written down, the more quickly they come to mind throughout the day (and night).

You can try it with a list of God’s names, a Bible verse, or worship song lyrics. Write in margins of your Bible, in a journal, on a post-it or Aqua Note pad. To further help you remember what you need to believe, leave it where you can see it often, share it with a family member, text it to a friend, or tuck it into a note for a neighbor.

2. Play it on repeat.

There’s something about saturating in a Spirit-drenched song that erases distance between God and I. It’s my favorite way to listen to music: one worship song on repeat for at least a week.

The lyrics root really deep when the song is constantly playing. You almost don’t even know when the music isn’t playing because it’s still replaying in your mind like you never took your earbuds out.

I want so badly for you to know God the way I’ve discovered Him through these songs I can’t turn off:

A God who weeps as He walks right next to you through corporate restructuring.
A God whose face creases in tender sympathy as He chisels through your mistrust.
A God who leans in to catch every wordless prayer, silent tear, and honest groan.
A God who tends every planted seed–even when they sprout in reverse order of how they’re planted.
A God who provides more than enough for every hard thing He lays on your heart.
A God more timeless than a song you never tire of hearing.

Wherever you are and whatever you need most today, God sees it all. You. The decision. The delay. The disappointment. The doubt.

It’s okay to admit you need Him. To thank Him for being good even when you’re struggling to believe it. To sink to your knees, surrender the questions that rip you raw and the grief you can’t get over and the time you can’t find, and soak in His relentless grace.

And if you just don’t have it in you, maybe a Spirit-saturated song on repeat will help you pause to ponder the truth that He loves and cares and is here with you through all of it.

3. Pray it daily.

One final, also powerful, way to repeat what you need to believe it to pray it. Daily.

It can be as short as a breath prayer, where you pray a few words as you inhale and finish the sentence as you exhale. You might pray Scripture, a worship song lyric, a borrowed prayer, or a prayer of your own. Here’s one to try:

God, You are (inhale)

Right-Now Peace (exhale).

At the encouragement of a friend, I’ve been praying Psalm 91 daily. It goes something like this:

We seek refuge in Your shelter, Most High.

May we stay safe in Your shadow, Almighty,

We say to You, Eternal, “My shelter, my mighty fortress,

My God, I place all my trust in You.

(Prayer adapted from The Voice Translation, verses 1-2 of Psalm 91.)

As I pray through Psalm 91, I’m reminded that God is our refuge in the midst of any and everything that troubles us.

The length of the prayer is far less important than the frequency, so I’d recommend starting with something small so it’s sustainable. Pray it at least once a day and see what it changes in your thought patterns.

May I pray for us as we close?

Jesus, we turn our thoughts over to You. You see the battle inside our heads. Give us eyes to see You and hearts to search You out. As we repeat what we need to believe–about You, about us–may it take root and become easily recalled in those moments we desperately need it.

Just a friend over here in your corner,