Overwhelmed and distressed

01/08/2020

Psalm 25; 69
Overwhelmed and distressed

The book of Psalms addresses all the feelings one could experience, challenges we might face and also offers guidance for serving the Lord. Let’s spend some time and discuss these over the next few days or weeks, depending on how the Lord leads us.

“Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.” (Ps 25 v 16 – 17)

Do you feel overwhelmed and distressed to the point where the waters are threatening your life and the flood has overflown you? (Ps 69 v 1 – 2). You are weeping in your soul, afflicted and in pain, while pleading to be delivered from the deep waters you find yourself in. Yet it seems like the Lord is delaying your deliverance…

I was in a situation once that overwhelmed me and overtook my soul, causing unbearable distress to the point of almost breaking down and at that time the Lord felt so far away. I would pray and could feel the distance between us, as if there was a barrier put up between myself and God.

Many of us experience this “heartfelt pain” on a daily basis and cannot seem to find peace, while trying to figure out how we will solve the problem. Instead of turning to the Lord and bringing our case before Him, we attempt to resolve the issue ourselves. We are all guilty of that at one point in our lives.

Seek the Lord earnestly, while you wait for Him to fight the battle for you. This does not mean we take on a “bunker mentality“, but we continue our walk in the faith with our head held high and do what our hand finds to do.

We go about life and business as usual, standing on the rock of our salvation. When giving up is not an option and giving over to God is the only option. Trusting in Him for the outcome and even if it doesn’t play out the way we had hoped we will still praise Him and serve Him.

To the natural man (even in ourselves), this does not make sense. How can you just be calm about the situation when it seems like everything is falling apart around you. The bible says we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us [paraphrase] (Rom 8 v 37) and “we can do all things through Him that strengthens us” (Phil 4 v 13).

Hebrews 11 says “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen“. The kind of faith that would make one believe without having to see. Trust without having to feel. Hope without having to know the outcome. This is the faith we signed up for. Stand tall, knowing the Lord is who He says He is and allow His will to be done. He will not disappoint.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, Life Application Study Bible, unless stated otherwise. Copyright by “The Lockman Foundation“