Tag: trusting God with hard days

Overwhelmed? | Bring Your Trust in God Back in Balance

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As soon as I woke up this morning, I felt completely overwhelmed with the day. Not only the day, but the week, as well. All I saw was the number of tasks, jobs, and chores that needed to be done. All the while, the feeling of it all being impossible set heavily upon me.

And I will not go into detail about those tasks because they only foster an environment of comparison. One can look at your list and say, “That’s it! Well, I have this, that, and that to do.” Or another may feel they don’t measure up to some invisible standard.

In addition, I have had some frustrations that have contributed to that feeling of overwhelm, making everything feel that much heavier.

As I sat with my Bible this morning and began my devotional reading, this thought dropped in my spirit: You are overwhelmed because you are out of balance. And the more I thought about being out of balance and overwhelmed, the more I realized it came down to trusting God with what I was facing.

Hear me out, these were not monumental things that were overwhelming and frustrating me. It was a bunch of little things. And not just little things, but many little things that gave the feeling of being just too much.

And, it was too much.

Here’s what I have had to learn: it is not all going to get done in one day, or maybe even in this one week. I have to not only be okay with that, but also trust in God that even when it is not all working on a timetable that I desire, it is still going to be alright. I don’t have to get myself worked up over it.

The more that pressed in my spirit, the more relief I started to feel. Tears of gratitude just flowed in prayer, and my heart felt significantly lighter.

Our normal, daily, humdrum lives can be absolutely overwhelming at times without something monumental going on. But God has always given us the invitation to bring our troubles, frustrations, burdens, and our feelings of overwhelm to Him and lay them at His feet. Even the humdrum daily stuff:

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

Jesus, Himself, said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

What kind of rest? Rest of the heart and mind – a place where peace can reign even in the midst of frustration and overwhelm.

You may have heard all of this before, so consider this your gentle reminder: You do not have to carry it all alone. 

Fretting over it and wringing your hands in anxiety is not helping. But when you invite the Lord in the process of carrying what you’re struggling to carry, the imagery of His hands coming behind us and helping us to balance the load that seems to be tipping over comforts my heart.

When we look at our load and realize, you know what, it’s not all going to get done. And that’s okay because I want to live in balance, which means trusting God with the outcome, regardless of what it looks like right now.

When we learn to bring trusting God into balance, everything that is overwhelming will fall into its proper place.

“I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2, CSB

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61:2

Father God, thank You for giving us permission and the space to bring it all to You today. Every frustration, everything we are dealing with on the inside, and every circumstance surrounding us. Lord, we lay them all at Your feet. You are our very present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and our refuge from life’s storms. In You, we hide and shelter ourselves, trusting in Your hand at work in us and for us. Thank You, that in everything we face, and in everything we meet, we can come and meet with You concerning it and lay the weight of it down. In the big things, the little things, the overwhelming things, and the frustrating things, God, we trust You. Help us to live out that trust, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, AMEN!

Friends, giving it to God is step one. Step two is recognizing hindrances to getting tasks done. Is your time being spent wisely? Are you scrolling through social media too much, etc.? Or, are you just being busy without really being productive in your goals?

Next, to help with the feeling of overwhelm, pick out 1-3 top tasks that absolutely must be done or will give you a great sense of accomplishment. To have those main things checked off will lighten the load you are carrying.

Then you can work on other little things as long as they are not adding to the overwhelm. Remember, you are a human with limited time and energy, not a machine. You must make space to care for yourself.

And finally, go back to God and ask Him to help you identify the next set of priorities and not just desires. God will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4), but not to overwhelm. We must recognize the difference and importance of each thing that “needs” to be done. Then, little by little, small step by small step, things will get done without your feeling crushed by overwhelm.

We trust God for some things: our faith, deliverance, and all those big things that easily turn us to Him, seeking help. But friends, we can trust Him to help us with our time, schedules, and tasks that are before us this day and this week as well.

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What to do with days when things just aren’t going right?

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What to do with this day when things aren’t clicking and time keeps ticking?  When things refuse to fall into the designated places you had for them?  When it feels like it’s completely squashed before it starts?  So many plans lay ahead but the weight, the feeling, and the pressure of it all leaves one with a sense of having things unaccomplished and unfulfilled.  To look on the outside, it seems that everyone else is getting on with this day and their doings, but the fight in here, right now, and the press that comes with it, it just doesn’t seem to want to work out.  All the gears for all the mechanics of this day are present, in place, and spinning, but they are just not grabbing correctly to move what we are trying to achieve successfully.

What to do with this day when there seems to be conflict and strain with one another?  When relationships don’t hug the way you want them to hug or love in a way you want to be loved?  When misunderstandings, assuming, and yes, even one’s own personal views on a matter put barriers between the spirit of fellowship and love.  When hurts cause one’s steps to move ever so fragile as if on eggshells, fearing the disappointment and disapproval of someone else?

What to do with this day when rogue feelings break away from the pack you had planned for the day and invade and try to rob you of the potential joy that lay ahead in the hours to come?  Thieves of insecurity.  Thieves of shame.  Thieves of feeling woefully torn.  These thieves come with many hideous and damaging names.  The day was brand new and fresh at the start, but that didn’t stop these unwanted parasitic nuisances from latching on and tainting it with the feelings of mess-ups, adversity, pain, and disappointments from your yesterdays.

So, what to do with these kinds of days when our plans, people, or feelings just don’t want to cooperate with the vision you had set for it?

Give it to God!  That one answer tells us how to deal with it, the proper response to it, and what to do with the rest of it.  This is not some Christian rhetoric or cliche.  It is a solid truth that we can stand on and base our faith upon.  We give it to God.

The real truth is that at any given time on any given day, we will all or have all experienced one or many of the daily upsets listed above (and sometimes even more than these).  It is all a part of life, a part that can really throw us off-kilter if we don’t process it right and deal with it in the right way.

Therefore, when everything is going absolutely bonkers, sometimes without rhyme or reason; when nothing within our power or control is working, we give it all to Him who has all power and control.  Not as a mythical genie creature whose bottle we rub to have things or people turn out how we want them to.  But, as releasing it to His majesty and sovereign will.  It’s saying, “I trust you, God.”  Whether this day turns out how I configured it or not, my plans, my people, my times, my heart, and my feelings are all in Your hands.

God is not only the Creator of all the universe and the Author of all mankind, but He is concerned about your daily needs for each individual day also.  All the areas that need filling, all the upsets that need dealing with, all the plans that need to be taken care of, and all the worries that bog us down – He’s concerned about it all.

But, as we release the day to Him we must also realize His best answer for us may be to not move everything or anything into the places where we see fit.  Sometimes, His best answer for what we are going through with this day is to let us learn from it, experience it, and still maintain trust in Him.  Regardless of how it goes forward, despite what we feel in the process, no matter who we are dealing with and how we are dealing with them – He still sees it all, knows it all, and has it all in His loving and powerful hands.

So, when days like this come, we give it to God, step back, and just trust Him for every part of it.

Here are some verses and prayers to hold in your heart when the days just aren’t going right for you:

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Father God, I acknowledge that I don’t know everything about this day, my future, or even how to properly respond to it all.  I pray for Your leading to show me the right path to walk so that my life might be pleasing in Your sight.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Father God, the end of all things may be vague to me or even remain a mystery.  Help my heart hold on to the very real fact that You knew me from the beginning and You know how my story ends; and that if I am in Your hands, then I am in Your plan.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Father God, my tears and confusion for the day, You see it all.  Help me to know that it is not all in vain.  Let my confidence be in You and Your love for me above all else, knowing that for every sadness, there will be joy.  When You restore, for every sorrow sown there will be a reaping of happiness and peace.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

 

 

What to do with days when things just aren’t going right?

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What to do with this day when things aren’t clicking and time keeps ticking?  When things refuse to fall into the designated places you had for them?  When it feels like it’s completely squashed before it starts?  So many plans lay up ahead but the weight and the feeling and the pressure of it all leaves one with a sense of unaccomplishment and unfulfillment.  Taking a look outside and it seems to be that everyone else is getting on with this day and doing but the fight in here, right now, and the press that comes with it, it just doesn’t seem to want to work out.  All the gears for all the mechanics of this day are present, in place, and spinning, but they are just not grabbing correctly to move what we are trying to accomplish forward successfully.

What to do with this day when there seems to be conflict and strain with one another?  When relationships don’t hug the way you want them to hug or love the way you want to be loved?  When misunderstandings, assuming, and yes, even one’s own personal views on a matter put barriers between the spirit of fellowship and love.  When hurts causes one’s steps to move ever so fragile as if on eggshells, fearing the disappointment and disapproval of someone else?

What to do with this day when rogue feelings break away from the pack you had planned for the day and invade and try to rob you of the potential joy that lay up ahead in the hours to come?  Thieves of insecurity.  Thieves of shame.  Thieves of feeling woefully torn.  These thieves come with many hideous and damaging names.  The day was brand new and fresh at the start, but that didn’t stop these unwanted parasitic nuisances from latching on and tainting it with the feelings of mess-ups, adversity, pain, and disappointments from your yesterdays.

So, what to do with these kinds of days when our plans, or people, or feelings just don’t want to cooperate with the vision you had set for it?

Give it to God!  That one answer tells us how to deal with it, the proper response to it, and what to do with the rest of it.  This is not some Christian rhetoric or cliche.  It is a solid truth that we can stand on and base our faith on.  We give it God.

The very real truth is that at any given time on any given day we will all or have all experienced one or many of the daily upsets listed above (and sometimes even more than these).  It is all a part of life; a part that can really throw us off kilter if we don’t process it right and deal with it in the right way.

Therefore, when everything is going absolutely bonkers, sometimes without rhyme or reason; when nothing within our power or control is working, we give it all to Him who has all power and control.  Not as a mythical genie creature whose bottle we rub to have things or people turn out the way we want them to.  But, as releasing it to His majesty and sovereign will.  It’s saying, “I trust you, God.”  Whether this day turns out how I configured it or not, my plans, my people, my times, my heart, my feelings – they are all in Your hands.

God is not only the Creator of all the universe and the Author of all mankind, but He is concerned about your daily needs for each individual day as well.  All the areas that need filling, all the upsets that need dealing with, all the plans that need to be taken care of, and all the worries that bog us down – He’s concerned about it all.

But, as we release the day to Him we must also realize His best answer for us may be to not move everything or anything into the places where we see fit.  Sometimes, His best answer for what we are going through with this day to let us learn from it, experience it and still maintain trust in Him.  That no matter how it goes forward, no matter what we feel in the process, no matter who we are dealing with and how we are dealing with them – He still sees it all, knows it all, and has it all in His loving and powerful hands.

So, when days like this come, we give it to God, step back, and just trust Him.

Here are some verses and prayers to hold in your heart when the days just aren’t going right for you:

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Father God, I acknowledge that I don’t know everything about this day, my future, or even how to properly respond to it all.  I pray for Your leading to show me the right path to walk that my life might be pleasing in Your sight.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

Father God, the end of all things may be vague to me or even remain a mystery.  Help my heart to hold on to the very real fact that you knew me from the beginning and you know how my story ends; that if I am in Your hands, then I am in Your plan.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Father God, my tears and confusion for the day, You see it all.  Help me to know that it is not all in vain.  Let my confidence be in You and Your love for me above all else, knowing that for every sadness, there will be joy.  That when You restore, for every sorrow that was sown there will be reaping of happiness and peace.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.