Have you ever been in a situation and you knew you were in way over your head? I felt that way after I accepted this new role at Seacoast Church. I felt that way when I first found out I was going to be a dad. I felt the same kind of emotions the day I got married. In situations like these, you know that you can’t do it on your own. You know that you are in way over your head. I’m working through the Psalms right now and Psalm 3 is all about being overwhelmed. You can read it here.

David is the author of this Psalm and this is exactly what he’s talking about. Verse 1 says, “Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!” Most people do their best to stay out of situations where they might feel outnumbered or overwhelmed. We do our best to hedge our bets and stay within the context of situations we can manage with our collective resources. Unfortunately, life just doesn’t seem to work that way. People get sick….the job falls through….the raise doesn’t come….the kids don’t do as their told….and the list goes on and on. All of us have, at some point, felt completely in over our heads.

What do you do in those situations? Depending on how overwhelmed you are, you really don’t have many options. Some retreat….some try to fight their way through….some depend on their God. Verses 3-4 says, “But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.” If you read through the gospels, you realize that the people that Jesus had the toughest time with were those that didn’t acknowledge their need for him.

He wasn’t repelled by the sinners and dregs of society. His harshest words were generally reserved for those that thought they had things taken care of on their own. He still loved those people, but his words to them seem to be directed towards bursting their cozy bubble. God is a loving God. He deeply cares about you. Perhaps the reason you feel overwhelmed right now is because God has divinely orchestrated your circumstances in such a way so as to lead you to trust him. What’s your next step in that process?