God’s gift . . .

Overcoming "Overwhelmed"
Keeping Christ in Your Life No Matter What

Do you believe in a God that can handle anything?

Do you trust that God can handle your goofs and messes?

Do you have faith that He will? . . . Why? . . . or why not?

Trust is believing someone is good, honest, safe, and reliable and will not harm you . . . When it comes to trusting God, that means accepting His reliability, His Word, His ability, and His strength . . . The Bible states that God cannot lie, that He always keeps His promises, will not harm you, and He loves you . . . Trusting in God means believing all that He says is true.

Faith in God, then, is having that great trust and confidence in Him and what He says to be real, accurate, and right.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for 
and assurance about what we do not see.”  
Hebrews 11:1

Helen Keller once wrote . . .
‍ ‍The most beautiful things in life cannot be seen or even touched.
‍ ‍They must be felt with the heart.

The same is true of trust and faith . . . it must be felt in the heart and soul . . . It is a choice to have trust and faith in God, even when your circumstances contradict what you hoped for . . . God knows, He is paying attention to you, and He cares about you . . . And though circumstances can change in the blink of an eye, God does not change . . . He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and therefore is worthy of your trust.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”
Psalm 28:7

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INSIGHT . . .

“You are the One I will call when pushed to the edge,
when my heart is overwhelmed  and grows faint;
Lead me to the towering Rock of safety,
the Rock that is higher than I.”
Psalm 61:2

When we feel overwhelmed, God’s message is one of comfort, rest, and active support rather than  to judge or shame us . . . It is not a sin to feel overwhelmed or trapped . . . God invites us to recognize and admit we carry heavy burdens, cast our anxieties on Him, and He invites us to draw on His limitless, all-powerful strength . . . and we need to have faith and trust that He means this.

God doesn't just sit up in heaven and watch us from afar . . . He is right there in the middle of whatever threatens to drown or engulf each of us . . . When we feel weak, we are not expected to carry everything in our own power . . . Turning to God when you are overwhelmed is the right thing to do . . . It is okay to surrender control, ask for His peace, and allow Him to carry you when your own strength runs out.  

You don't have to pretend you’re strong  . . . God is your refuge, your safe harbor, your sanctuary when life's circumstances pull you down . . . God knows we have limits, so He asks each of us to hand over our heavy burdens to Him . . . God promises peace to guard our hearts through it all.

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit of despair, out of the mud and mire.
He set my feet upon the Rock, upon solid ground, and gave me a firm place to stand.
He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again.”
Psalm 40:1-2

When we feel trapped, cornered, or overwhelmed we’re reminded to call on God as a refuge . . . Psalm 40:1-2 explains that when we feel trapped in a "pit" of despair or overwhelming trials, continuing to trust and lean on God will result in His rescue of each of us . . . He will provide stability and a solid foundation for us to stand upon once again.

We wait patiently for the Lord because we know who He is . . . We know He hears us . . . We know He loves each of us . . . We know He is working for our good . . . Like a Father listening for His child’s cry, He’s listening when we cry out in our struggles.

A slimy pit indicates instability, of feet that are slipping and in danger of falling . . . But one thing God reminds us of is that He steadies us . . . We don’t steady ourselves.

The next part of the verse literally says,“—and set my feet upon a rock, giving me a firm place to stand”. . .Christ Jesus is our Rock and firm foundation  . . . He sets our feet on something steady, unmoving, unchanging—Himself . . . and as we walk in Him, our feet are steady and stable.

We try to find balance, to be rooted, and yet we can feel ourselves slipping . . . But in these words, God says that He will set our feet upon the Rock and make our feet secure . . . It’s not up to us—God will always come to rescue us . . . No matter where we are, He is there . . . So, you feel like you’ve struggled to get your footing? . . . Be encouraged because Jesus can, will, and wants to steady you and give you stability . . . Will you let God help you?

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IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND . . .

God never said that He wouldn't give you more than you can handle

Has someone ever told you, “God will never give you more than you can handle?” . . . Perhaps you’re having that kind of year where it’s just one thing after another . . . and someone, with all the right intentions, tried to reassure you by saying, “You know, God will never give you more than you can handle.”

To be honest, I understand why people say things like that, but if someone comes along and speaks those words, that tired, old phrase begins to sound more like a taunt than a comfort . . . especially if you feel like telling God, “Lord, I can’t handle this anymore. I don’t know what to do, but I can’t keep doing this.” . . . When we’re down and out, or feeling discouraged, hearing those words can cause us to feel like we are not measuring up . . . We feel like we’re being judged because we’re struggling.

So, where did this phrase come from? . . . Go back 2,000 years to a small church in the city of Corinth . . . The Apostle Paul wrote them a few letters, and in his first letter, he reminded them that all people are tempted and often choose to do the wrong thing
. . . Paul’s warning is tied to the reality of temptation and sin that meets us every day . . . With his warning he also gave a promise
. . . Paul wrote, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it”
(1 Corinthians 10:13) . . . This is the verse that is so often misquoted.

Paul is talking about temptation and sin—not suffering, trials, and pain . . . Paul pointed out that we always have a choice with sin—engage in sin or run from it . . . The promise is that God will always provide a way for us to run from it . . . Take this to heart—Paul was talking about temptation, not suffering . . . With temptation, we have a choice . . . but with suffering we often don’t have a choice.

When we become aware that life will give us more than we can handle at times . . . and make a serious effort to understand and accept this . . . then we find a promise—God is faithful and will meet us in the mess and in the pain . . . Remember, God cares for you . . . When life deals us more than we can handle, we can rest in the reality that God can handle it.

One more thing . . . when life becomes unmanageable, we need to be willing to walk alongside one another . . . When we do this, we become the hands and feet of Christ . . . We can be there with one another in the midst of suffering . . . helping each other carry the weight . . . When we are willing to sit with others in the pain, to walk with one another when life’s path is difficult, and to shoulder one another’s burdens when they are too heavy, we become part of God’s promise . . . We become living proof that while life can sometimes be too much, through the goodness of our loving God displayed within us, we can move forward together.

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INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .

PAUSE . . . think about your heart for a moment . . . Listen to it beat, feel the rhythm . . . Stretch your arms out and tilt your head back to help release the tension in your shoulders and back . . . You are alive and breathing, no matter how high or low your path takes you today.

Have you thanked God for today? . . . for the blessings He gives you?

Today I challenge you to acknowledge something that is overwhelming you . . . put a name to it, recognize the control it is having over you and your life . . . then talk to God.

Ask God for His help in recognizing your need for Him to get through today.

In order to step forward, toward a deeper peace, there is a need in each of our hearts and souls to “let go” of something . . . stop holding onto something, to stop thinking about, or being angry about the past or something that happened in the past, or something that is control life today . . . and take a single step forward, or away, in order to be able to reevaluate the moment, the day, your life.

Prayerfully ask God to show you what you need to “let go” of so you can look at things in a fresh light. 

Ask Him to help you let go . . . Don’t try to manipulate or force the outcome . . . Just trust God to close the right doors at the right time, and to open the right doors at the right time, and believe He will open your eyes to new possibilities and solutions.

Do you realize that one of the biggest distractions in life can be “yourself”?
                       . . . that sometimes you need to get out of your own way?

Ask God where you might need to get out of your own way . . . He will let that realization jump out to you . . . have faith and trust Him.

Trusting God in the light is easy, but to trust Him in the dark, the unseen, that is faith . . . Sometimes we don’t know or understand God’s plan, but having faith is trusting He will take care of you, no matter the storms (a summer rain or a hurricane) or roar of the ocean waves.

Think about this . . . prayer helps you get outside the problem and see all the way around a situation . . . God will help open your eyes and help you see things through a different lens or from a different angle if you ask for help.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”
Psalm 105:4‍ ‍

‍ILLUMINATION . . .

Look at the picture of the train tracks heading into the fog . . . Imagine walking on those tracks, heading forward, around an uncertain bend . . . Will they be stable?  . . . What lays ahead?  . . . Is there a roaring train coming toward you? . . . Is there a broken bridge to nowhere? . . . Should you stop or keep going? . . . Is this how you approach life?

What part of your life, or life in general, can you see in these questions?
               What emotions bubble up from the pictures your mind has drawn?

Now, try again . . . through the eyes of a child . . .  Revise your imagination and the pictures your mind has drawn . . . Imagine balancing on the rails, jumping between each wooden tie, looking up and wondering what wonderland or mountain is ahead to experience and explore . . . imagine the wonder, peace, and joy.

Eberhard Arnold, a German theologian and Christian writer, said, “Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.”

In scripture, viewing the world through the "eyes of a child" represents innocent faith, humility, and wholehearted trust in God . . . we are called to embrace God's kingdom with this childlike perspective, leaving behind worldly cynicism, distrust, and doubt . . . In Matthew 18:3-4, Jesus declares that unless believers humble themselves and become like little children, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

We are encouraged to rely on God rather than our own self-reliance and self-support . . . Be patient, have faith, trust God . . . be willing to find joy in the train tracks and what lays ahead . . . and maybe even look at all of life through a child’s eyes occasionally.

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INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .

Music speaks what cannot be expressed,
soothes the mind and gives it rest;
heals the heart and makes it whole,
flows from heaven to the soul.
(Author Unknown)

I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.

♪♬♪ Current . . .  Even If

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6fA35Ved-Y&list=RDB6fA35Ved-Y&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Praise & Worship . . . Another Hallelujah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOLj8Glw3AE&list=RDbOLj8Glw3AE&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Traditional . . . It is Well with My Soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bqP9sWdX8E&list=RD7bqP9sWdX8E&start_radio=1

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INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .

Following Jesus and living a Christ-like life does not guarantee a pain-free life . . . He never promised us a life without suffering, trials, or hurt . . . and there will always be suffering, trials, pain, and situations that we won’t be able to handle on our own . . . But when suffering and trials come—not if, but when—as followers of Christ, God promises to always be with us because He is faithful.

The world is filled with people who are dealt more than they can handle . . . and I know that I’m not the only one who feels like I’ve been given more than I can handle sometimes . . .  God doesn’t expect us to “handle” everything we’re facing—He wants us to hand it over to Him . . . He doesn’t want us to rely only on our own strength—He wants us to rely solely on His strength.

We know we’ll face things that are too much for us . . . We’re all living out a story, but then there’s also the story we tell ourselves . . .  We just need to make sure we’re telling ourselves the right story . . . Yes, we will experience times with more than we can handle, but God will be there in the muck and the mire, in the joys and the sorrows, always by our side.

Lord your word declares over and over again, that you are a refuge, our defender, our Savior.
Let your hand stretch across each of us and lift us from the “pits” we encounter in life.
Set our feet on the steady, solid ground of your love, of your nature, of your character.
We worship you and praise you! Thank you Jesus, our Savior—In Jesus’s name Amen!

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