May 1, 2015
Overwhelmed
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint(Isaiah 40:31, NIV).
Friend to Friend
Just call me Taffy!
Seriously! Does anyone else feel like they are being pulled in a thousand different directions?
Here’s how my month is shaping up.
Week one: Our daughter and her family are moving to a townhouse while they are building a new house. I can help pack, but since I can’t do a lot of heavy lifting, I volunteered to take care of Justus and Hudson, two of our precious grandchildren. I know. It is a terrible assignment, but somebody has to do it. We are also hosting Easter dinner after eight church services at the church my husband pastors.
Week two: We have two pastors from South Africa staying with us for a week. Both precious men that serve in our missions ministry … but they expect to eat and have places to sleep and shower. You know the drill.
Week three: I teach a women’s Bible study … have one day to put the house back together after the two pastors from South Africa leave … and then leave for a three day speaking engagement in North Dakota.
Week four: I teach the final session of our women’s Bible study … and then head to North Carolina for about ten days to help our son and daughter-in-law who have a brand new baby girl – our sixth grandchild – as well as seven year old twins and a two year old little boy.
Have. Mercy.
And I know you can relate! You are just as busy as I am. Whether married or single, with or without children, working outside the home or in it … if you are alive in the twenty-first century, you are probably living life in the fast and furious lane.
Overwhelmedis a word I often hear and the way I often feel. But I don’t want to live a frantic life. The remedy is learning to wait on God.
No one ever felt the pressure and demands of life more than Jesus Christ. And yet, He never gave the impression of being overwhelmed during His time on earth. Jesus always seemed to know when it was the right time to come or go, to speak or be silent … to take action or be still … because He knew how to seek God and wait on His direction.
And that is the secret to being an overcomer instead of being overwhelmed.
Jesus never let anyone or any circumstance distract Him from what was most important – time alone with God. In fact, Jesus was willing to walk away from the crowds of people that followed Him if He felt the need to spend time with His Father. Jesus knew that His source of strength and power, His direction and wisdom would be found in that time alone with God, sitting at His feet, waiting and listening for His Father to speak.
Jesus made deliberate choices that allowed Him to seek God. We must learn to make those same choices, some of which are hard decisions to make.
Am I willing to find my worth in the presence of God instead of in the approval of others?
Am I willing to set aside my to-do list in order to seek God?
Am I willing to surrender my calendar to Him?
Am I willing to change my plans during the day when I sense Him leading me in a different direction?
What is urgent is not always what is most important. To keep from being overwhelmed, we must surrender every minute of every day to God, asking Him to give us discernment and wisdom about where to invest our time.
If we want to run the race for an audience of One, we have to be willing to spend time alone with God, preparing for that race. Learning to wait on God instead of rushing headlong into the day, hoping and praying that God blesses our efforts, will radically change the way we live. When we make Him our first priority, every other priority will line up, and everything else will fall into place. A life of purpose will replace that frantic life filled with stress and anxiety. God will renew our strength. We will soar on wings like eagles; we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint. We will be overcomers!
Let’s Pray
Lord, I am tired of being overwhelmed by life’s demands. I choose to see You and Your plan for my life. I lay down my agenda and my plans. I surrender to You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now it’s Your Turn
Evaluate the time you spend seeking God.
Do you wait on Him in prayer to receive direction for your life … or do you come up with a plan and ask for His stamp of approval?
Do you listen for His voice when you pray … or do you do all of the talking?
What changes do you need to make in your schedule that will allow you to spend more time in prayer?
More from the Girlfriends
Need help? Mary’s husband, Dan, has written an E-Book, Chair Time. Dan says: “We have over-complicated prayer! In its purest form, it is talking with and listening to God. Most of us have the talking part down. The listening part – not so much! Chair Time is the story of how I am learning to listen to God. It’s a simple story of a simple man learning a life changing truth. God wants to speak to us! He will, if we get in the chair.”
Be sure to check out the FREE MP3s on Mary’s website. Connect with Mary through email or on Facebook.
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Girlfriends in God
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