When Life Gets Overwhelming.....

Wednesday morning, I dropped the girls off at school, drove home, pulled into the driveway and stopped. Yes, I stopped the car but it was more than that. I stopped. I found myself sitting in the car and didn’t feel able to move. Physically I was fine, but I had been praying, and as my prayer went on and more names/situations came to mind, I felt overwhelmed. I wasn’t the one in need of prayer, but just the thought of all that was going on with those who we care for and love was too much. (And let’s not even start with all that is happening in our world.)

And so I found my prayers making a sharp right turn. As I sat in my car in our driveway, I found myself taking my own overwhelmed emotions and laying them at the feet of Jesus and thanking Him that situations, where the mere thought becomes too overwhelming for me, are not too much for Him. Each and every prayer of mine- as well as all the prayers of every other person in the world- when we combine them all, it would still not be too much for God. He is enough. HE is enough.

He is enough because there is nothing we are going through that surprises Him. There is nothing we experience that He hasn’t already been present for. That is the beauty of a God who is eternal and immortal, who’s wisdom is perfect and complete. He is present in every moment of every person….. always. There is no future. There is no past for Him. He is present in them all and because of that, He is surprised by nothing and His plans will always be right. It may not look that way from our limited view point and it will certainly not always feel that way, but that is when knowing God becomes so important. When our experiences seem to question God’s love or God’s goodness, the relationship I have with Him reminds me- He is good. He is just. He is faithful. He is true. He is love. And these are not just qualities he possesses. He is the very definition of them. So when I cannot see the good, I trust in who I know God to be and in His promises.

“I will lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalms 121:1-2

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for yourselves.” Matthew 11:28-29

So what started out as weight that kept me in my seat unable to move turned into a time of praise celebrating who God is and what He is doing even now- when I cannot see it and do not understand.

I will lift my eyes even in the pain
 Above all the lies, I know You can make a way
I have seen giants fall, I have seen mountains move
I have seen waters part, because of You

I remember I remember
You have always been faithful to me
I remember I remember
Even when my own eyes could not see You were there, always there

I can't stop thinking about
I can't stop thinking about
I can't stop thinking about Your goodness

(Remember, Lauren Daigle)

And because of that even though I have not seen any answers to my prayers yet, the rest of my week has been a week of praise- sometimes tearful praise but praise none the less- because I remember. And because I remember, I will keep on praising and praying, knowing that He hears and He cares and He is already there.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord Is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights.” Habakkuk 3:17-19

I pray the same for you. If you already believe in God, I pray that no matter what you may be facing right now, you will remember He is there- whether you can see Him or feel Him- He is there. I pray you will remember who He is, who He has shown Himself to be in the past and His many promises to those who believe, and you will find comfort and peace knowing your circumstances are in the best possible hands.

If you do not have a relationship with the Lord, I pray you would come to know Him. I pray there would be someone in your life who can show you and speak to you of the goodness of God and His love for you and that you would come to know who He truly is and trust Him too. Because I truly believe it is only when you have a relationship with Him that you can find true peace and true freedom. And should that person be me, I pray that the Lord would use me- not for my glory but for your good and His goodwill.