“What?! Are you talking to me? If you are–please speak up! I can’t hear you!”

“Nope! Just talkin’ to myself.”

This happens at our house all the time.

Not only do we sometimes talk to ourselves out loud, but all of us, inside our heads, are talking to ourselves all day long, aren’t we?

The only time we stop is when we’re talking to someone else–but even then, most of the time, the inner monologue is in the peanut gallery commenting on the whole conversation.

There’s a song in the Bible where the singer sings to himself. It goes like this:

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.

It’s a blues song–a lament. The singer lists things that are not going well, but then comes back to this refrain–self talk to put one’s hope in God.

We don’t do it alone either. The song is supposed to be sung not only individually, but with the community of faith.

This is not easy. It’s impossible, actually. The song isn’t about self help–but Savior dependency.

Not easy. But extremely wise.