For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook or Instagram, you have probably seen me post this verse AT LEAST once since we have been friends:
Psalm 61:2-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.
Why is it that I post this verse so much and quote it so often? Behind every person's favorite Scripture is a story. Here's a little bit of mine. A couple years ago, I was feeling completely overwhelmed by life. It was becoming so busy and I just couldn't keep up. On top of that, I was feeling very lonely. I wondered what was so wrong with me that I wasn't in a relationship. I was looking at all the people around me and their happiness, wishing I had what they had. I was alone and broken. My heart was overwhelmed. I quickly realized that there was only one person, and one place I could turn to. So I opened the Word of God. I looked up Scriptures for women, and tried to find those that would be encouraging. I immediately turned to the book of Psalm, which has been one of my favorite books of the Bible for several years. I would like to say it was coincidence but as I was turning the pages, I stopped on Psalm chapter 61. I read through the whole chapter. Then I went back and read it again. The second verse seemed to jump off the page and into my heart. I quickly grabbed paper and pen to write down the verse. I highlighted it in my Bible. I stuck the post-it note to my wall. I memorized the verse. Psalm 61:2 literally became a lifeline for me.
The first part of the verse says, From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee...David was pleading with God. This wasn't just a short prayer that he aimlessly sent up toward Heaven. I doubt that he bowed his head for a mere five minutes without shedding a tear. David was crying out to God in his distress, searching for an answer to the troubles that had befallen him. The second part of the verse, and my favorite part, says: when my heart is overwhelmed...There is so much emotion in this phrase. David was completely overwhelmed by his circumstances. He had enemies who he was running from, and he had nowhere to turn except to God. David realized he could be real and honest with God, so he poured his heart out. He was not afraid to let God see how he was feeling. The final part of the verse says, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. In the last line of this verse, David acknowledged that he couldn't do anything in his own strength. There was no way David could stop his enemies from overtaking him. Instead, he chose to place his trust in God. He knew that God would fight for him. David wanted to be lead by God because God had shown himself faithful. David recognized his own weakness and was submitting himself to God.
After looking at each part of this verse, it seems there are three take-aways:
1. God hears us when we fervently pray to him. We don't have to hold back. We can cry out to him and he will answer.
2. We can be honest with God and allow him to see us as we really are...in our broken and overwhelmed state.
3. God is faithful. We must acknowledge that he has our best interest at heart and that he is greater than us. When we are at our weakest, God will be our strength. He will fight our battles for us.
While writing this post, I was reminded of a song that talks about being overwhelmed. Here are some of the lyrics: If my heart is overwhelmed, and I cannot hear your voice, I hold on to what is true. Though I cannot see. If the storms of life, they come, and the road ahead gets steep. I will lift these hands in faith. I will believe. I'll remind myself of all that you've done. And the life I have because of your Son.
Sometimes we have to remember who God is and that he is more than able to take whatever we are facing and turn it all around.
This verse may not help you as much as it has me, but if it does, there's no coincidence about it. I believe God led me to that verse-not just one time, but over and over again when I was feeling completely helpless and overwhelmed. Life itself can become overwhelming, but we know where our help comes from. We can go to God and His Word to find strength when we are weak. I don't know about you, but I want this verse to be my prayer when I feel like I can't take another step. We know the God who is in control. The hardest part is letting go of our fears, failures, and our feelings. If your heart or mind is overwhelmed, cry out to the one who will answer in your distress, the one who is higher than you. There is nothing wrong with a little honesty. All throughout the book of Psalm, David pours his heart out. He shows God this raw emotion. He shares with God his fears, doubts, failures, and bitterness. Then in the next chapter or two, David rejoices because he realized God was faithful to Him. You don't have to keep going through life feeling overwhelmed. You can rest in God. He will hide you under his wings. He holds your heart in the palm of his hands. He will never let you go. If that doesn't still your heart, I don't know what will.
To My Readers:
I hope you found this post encouraging! Please comment and share your favorite verse and the story behind it. I would love to hear about experiences you have had where life just felt too overwhelming to bear, and how God helped you through. God Bless!