WHEN FEELING OVERWHELMED

When Feeling Overwhelmed

            Did you ever feel overwhelmed by what was happening to you or someone you loved?  Most of us have at one time or another.  In fact, I recently had someone tell me that because they were going through extended illness, they just wanted to give up.  Why would anyone who is a child of God feel that way?  Let’s see what the Bible says about giving up.

            In the book of I Kings, chapters 18 & 19, we find the great prophet, Elijah going through a time of being overwhelmed.  Elijah had just had a great victory over the priests of the Baal and brought glory to God.  Then Jezebel, who worshiped Baal, sent men out to kill Elijah.  He ran away to hide and asked God to let him die.  He had just proven the power of God, but didn’t have faith to trust God for his life.  The angels brought him food to strengthen him and then he ran again.
           “And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?   So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”  1 Kings 19:9-10
           Elijah’s thoughts were so dark that he thought he was the only believer left in Israel, but in verse 18, God informs him there were 7,000 others who served God.  There were other things that God wanted Elijah to do and he told him to “get up and go”.  It wasn’t God’s time for Elijah to leave this earth. He had not left him alone.
           Even great men of God had to deal with feeling overwhelmed at times.  I know you have heard this said many times, “God will never give you more than you can endure” and it is true, but let’s take a look at what it really says.  “The temptations [troubles] in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation [trouble] to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, [in those times] he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”  I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
           God will never leave you alone to deal with the overwhelming things that come your way; here’s what he says to you in 1 Corinthians 4:8 (MSG).  “You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle.”  What does this mean?  Don’t waste your time worrying about your situation; God already knows about it and is taking care of it.  The problem most of us have is that we either try to take care of it ourselves, or give up.  Where is our faith in God?
           If you are one of those personalities who feel you must be in control, it is harder to trust God.  We must remember that no matter how we feel, God is still in control.  Job 14:5 (NLT) tells us, “You (God) have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.”  For those who fear death, remember that your time is in God’s hands.
           In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (TLB) we are told; “There is a right time for everything: a time to be born; a time to die.”  When God wants to bring you to be with him, it will happen.  This is why we should serve God, walk in his ways and be ready because we don’t know what our “length of days are”.  Only God knows that.
            Our health is not the only thing that overwhelms us; our finances can also be overwhelming.  Perhaps you are wondering where the money will come from to pay your next house payment or your rent.  Did you know that God owns everything on this earth?  He is our Provider! 
            I know it took me a while to figure this out until it happened to me.  I have seen food provided when I saw no way for it to happen.  I saw money come in for payments when I didn’t have it myself.  I saw food multiply when there wasn’t enough to go around.  I’ve seen money stretch when I didn’t figure it could.  It has been proven to me over and over again that God is so faithful to provide.
            There is a secret I want to share with you that I believe with all my heart.  When I finally understood that God told us to give a 10^th of what we bring into our household, he would bless us in abundant ways.  Malachi 3:10 (NKJV) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse [the house of God], that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”   Do you believe in God’s promises? This is one of them. 
            God promises that Believers will go to heaven when they die.  I sure believe that, don’t you?  If we believe one of God’s promises we should believe them all, unless you want to pick and choose what is truth or lies in the Bible.  If you believe in all God’s promises, then you must also believe in this one.  God’s Word says if you do this, then I’ll bless you in all ways.
            If you are overwhelmed by marriage problems, God’s Word has the answer for you.  He shows us what to do in all types of situations that afflict couples and we should try every thing we can to bring your marriage back into God’s will for you.  Yet, because of one or other of the spouses, it doesn’t always work.  God wants you to have peace in your marriage, but as much as He hates divorce, he allows it is not the unforgivable sin! The following scriptures give you a clear picture of what you should do.
            1 Corinthians 7:10-15 (NKJV) “Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.  But to the rest I, not the Lord, say: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her. And a woman who has a husband, who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him.  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy. But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.”
           God will not give you more than you can bear!  Never forget that when you are feeling overwhelmed.  Turn to Him; He will never fail you.