Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day, this gift that we have been given, I pray you are taking time to be with the Lord. In His presence is fullness of joy. When we feel like life is more than we can bear, it is our signal to be with Jesus... We have to get centered. We have been in a very difficult season like no other. It has been very heartbreaking... BUT GOD!!! When we feel the weight of our circumstances is too heavy for us to carry, we must remember to go to God's word and His promises. Spend time with Him... We can see what Jesus did when He was feeling what we are feeling. We may feel crushed, or we lack the strength necessary to do whatever is before us, it can create a sense of hopelessness.
As I write this, my mind goes once again to our Savior. The Bible says that Jesus cried out to His Father, not once, but three times. He said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) The burden Jesus bore was so great that it caused Him to plead with His three most trusted disciples to be with Him during this dark moment. The Bible also says that as Jesus prayed, He fell on His face and “was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.” (Luke 22:44)
The Apostle Paul also had an overwhelming experience. 2 Corinthians 12 tells us that the Lord allowed him to have a thorn in the flesh that tormented him. (2 Corinthians 12:7) No one knows what the thorn was, but it was so severe that it caused Paul to plead with Christ to remove it. Consider how Jesus responded to his prayer. “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9) The grace of Christ becomes its strongest when we are at our weakest. For His power to be made perfect doesn’t mean that it becomes better, but that it can reach its full potential. The weaker we are, the more we can experience the greatness of His grace.
A while back I heard a Pastor say, “Sometimes the greatest miracle is not in how God can get you out of the situation, but in what God can do in the situation.” That’s what happened to the Apostle Paul.
2 Corinthians 12:8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Think about those words for a moment. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Only the person who is leaning upon the grace of Jesus can say those words. Anyone else would be crushed by their circumstances. But for us as believers , when we are at our weakest point is when He can reveal the greatness of His strength.
There are many reminders in God's word what we are to do when we feel overwhelmed, disappointed, crushed, hurt or alone. Let's remember these:
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:14-16, NLT).
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. (Psalm 142:3 NKJV)
For I, the Lord your God will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ (Isaiah 41: 13 NKJV)
I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 NIV)
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30 NKJV)
It’s encouraging to me that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses. Jesus, too, is familiar with being broken down and tired. When we spend time with Him, in His word, or being still seeking Him first, we remember what He did for us, what He experienced.
And suddenly, we go from being weak to being strong in the grace. We can resist the temptation to let the overwhelm of life keep us from chasing after the heart of God.
Father, when we are in the midst of overwhelm, help us remember that You see us and invite us into Your throne room to receive Your mercy and find Your grace to help us. Give us the courage and confidence to draw near to You, even when our instincts tell us to run and hide. In your presence is fullness of joy. Restore our joy and give us peace as we keep our eyes on you. Let us be lightbearers in a dark world.. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
