我們今天要來到從迷惘到信靠的第九個步驟：提醒自己神在過去信實的證據，並不斷向自己講述這些事情。

來到這兒我們需要暫停閱讀哈巴谷書，因為要為我們往後幾天建立一個思考的根基。請讓我問你：你有沒有試過對自己說話？沒有嗎？那麼容許我糾正一點──其實你在清醒的時候幾乎每分鐘都在跟自己說話，雖然你沒有發覺，因為那是在潛意識下發生的。事實上，無論我們生命中有甚麼事情發生，我們都藉著對自己講述那事情作為一種回應。心理學家稱這為「建議式控制的理論」，我們跟自己說出一句一句的話，而我們對自己所說的話，哪怕是在潛意識中，也會影響我們對事情的感受。

相信你有聽過別人提出這樣的問題：為甚麼我會有這種感覺？不錯，為甚麼人們對事情總會有某種特定的感覺？那是因為我們的感受，在很大程度上是我們思考的直接後果。如果你在回應一件負面或者是不快樂的事情而問自己說：「為甚麼這事情會發生在我身上？」，那我們不難預測你會有甚麼樣的感受──憂愁和沮喪。相反的要是你在回應的時候對自己說：「神愛我，祂永遠不會容許任何事情發生，除非那件事合乎神明智和愛的目的。」這樣你就會有完全不同的感受。為甚麼呢？因為你的想法引領你的感受，就像小鴨跟隨鴨媽媽一樣。

We come now to the ninth step in our progression : remind yourself of the evidences of God's faithfulness in the past and constantly talk to yourself about them.

At this point, we are going to leave Habakkuk just for a moment to lay down a foundation for our thinking over the next few days. Let me ask you: Do you ever talk to yourself? No? Then permit me to correct you. Although you don't realise it - because it goes on just below the threshold of awareness - you talk to yourself almost every minute of your waking day. Whatever event takes place in our lives, we respond to that event by talking to ourselves about it. Psychologists call this the "theory of propositional control" - we talk to ourselves in sentences. And what we tell ourselves, even subconsciously, will determine the way we feel about issues.

Have you heard someone ask the question: Why do I feel this way? Well, why do people feel a particular way about things? It is because our feelings are largely the direct consequence of our thinking. If you respond to a negative or unpleasant event by saying to yourself "Why should this happen to me?" then it is not difficult to predict how you will feel - sad and depressed. But if you respond by telling yourself, "God loves me and will never allow anything to happen to me unless it accords with a wise and loving purpose", you will feel quite different. Why? Because your feelings follow your thinking - just like little ducklings follow their mother.