“I will cry to You, Lord, when my heart is overwhelmed.” Psalm 61:2 NKJV.
When life seems more than you can handle, kneel and pray.
My thoughts and comments today are about “feeling overwhelmed.”
Have you ever seen the panic and fear on the face of a child in water who suddenly realizes they can’t touch the bottom, or when a gulp of water causes them to gasp for breath? In a moment, their illusion of safety is swept away. Panic happens to adults as well. At such moments, efforts are desperate and exertion is usually misspent. Panic prompts self-preservation without producing safety.
Fear comes suddenly, often overwhelmingly, usually irrationally. Feeling overwhelmed is not a good feeling. Fear can rise from imagined dangers, as well as dangers that are very real. There will be times you will find yourself in situations beyond your ability to handle, suddenly realizing you are in unfamiliar territory. Everyone has experienced multiple times like that, such as: a student unprepared for the final exam, a new mother with a crying infant who refuses comfort, a young husband discovering he is not loved as he loves, a wife realizing her husband has been unfaithful, a businessman staring at a debt he cannot pay, a person stunned by an adverse diagnosis, an investor who risked more than he could afford, or a homeowner facing foreclosure. Those are real, everyday crises.
Life will sometimes seem unmanageable. The unpredictable interrupts; the unthinkable intrudes. No one is exempt from such realities – neither the wise, the rich, the strong, nor the Godly. What will you do when overwhelmed? Where do you turn for help? To whom will you look for answers and direction? At such moments, beware of despair. Even a great king felt overwhelmed, but David knew what to do. “I will cry to You, Lord, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of your wings.” Psalm 61:2-4. Read Psalm 91:1-9.
When life seems more than you can handle, kneel and pray. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NIV. Prayer, not despair, is the answer. “When you are in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you are in rough waters, you will not go down. When you are between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end – because I am your God, your personal God, your Savior . . So don’t be afraid, I’m with you!” Isaiah 43:2-5 MSG.
If God can create the world out of nothing, He will supply your need. If God can provide for a multitude in a wilderness, He will give you what you lack. If God can construct a dry path through the Red Sea, He will make a way for you. If God can feed thousands with a small boy’s lunch, He will turn your little into enough. If God knows the unknown and unknowable, He will provide the wisdom you need. God’s Word is ever true; “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. “ Philippians 4:19.
Today, my prayer for you is that when you know God can, you will trust that God will.