Joy For All SeasonsSample

David the worshiper … the man after God’s own heart … shared my incompetence at dealing well with all that life dishes out. “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:1-4) Although I do not know what specifically overwhelms you, I can assure you that the answer for both of us is the same. “Hear my cry, O God! Give heed to my prayer.” When you are overwhelmed, take it from David: the first thing you need to do is cry out to God. Just going to my infinitely gracious God, Who is lovingly attentive in all of His ways, reminds me that I am not in charge. “From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed!” There is no sin in calling out to God when you are completely and utterly overwhelmed. The sin would actually be in turning to other less satisfying options. Those things are deceptive distractions and possess all the healing power of a minuscule Band-Aid following open-heart surgery. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I …” We all need God to lead us. The benefit of standing on a Rock that is “higher than I” is that it places me above my circumstances and therefore I am able to see from heaven’s perspective. “For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy …” When you are feeling overwhelmed, begin to declare Who God is. Remove your eyes from your circumstances and set your mind, mouth, and gaze on the only One Who is able to help you! “Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” There is no safer place to be than abiding in Him and with Him. The life that He gives is the life that I was made for! Joyful Thought to Ponder: What benefit does it bring to your life to focus on God rather than on the problem?