Overwhelmed?
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by what is before you in your life? Do you wake up feeling unsure about how you will possibly face all that needs to be done or accomplished in the day ahead? Or, perhaps, sleep eludes you as you think about all the things that need to be done? I saw a meme recently that said, “My bed is magic. As soon as I lay down in my bed at night, it magically causes me to remember everything I have forgotten to do.”
Prayer and reading scripture can help with that feeling of being overwhelmed, of not being able to shoulder all that is going on. Don’t be mistaken, though, and think that praying and reading your Bible can mysteriously accomplish all those things. Prayer can help with the feeling of being overwhelmed by them, clearing the way for you to move forward and do what needs to be done. When you start the day with some quiet time in conversation with God, you can gain clarity of mind and peace of heart as you set out to complete those things that must be done or to face those situations that must be faced. It is when we understand that we really are not capable of facing life all on our own that we will know we must rely on God’s strength to lift us up, to carry us in our weakness. It is God’s strength, not our own, on which we can rely.
Psalm 62:6-9 speaks to the strength we gain through faith.
6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in him.
7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
8 In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
9 Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
"The Book of Common Prayer," pg. 669
And this Collect for Guidance reminds us to look for God’s strength, so that we may find Him guiding us through all that we do.
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
"The Book of Common Prayer," pg. 100
