Note from Joanna: Today’s guest post is by my friend and writing assistant Angela Howard. If you are feeling overwhelmed and under pressure then keep reading–God has something special for you!
What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed
When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? Last week? Last month? Five minutes ago?
What was it that sent you over the edge? Maybe too little sleep and too much to do? Or maybe it was a stressful relationship and you wondered if things would ever change. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by physical or emotional pain.
The feeling of being overwhelmed is often described as drowning or being crushed. I felt this way recently when my husband Michael faced a health crisis. I found myself inundated with information from multiple doctors. Where should we begin? Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Should we get a second opinion? A third? A fourth?
In this type of situation, my mode of operation is to go full steam ahead–kick it into overdrive, and solve the problem. I’m great at collecting information, organizing it, and taking action. But this time I felt completely overwhelmed. I was at the end of myself; overly emotional and exhausted.
When I came to the place of being completely undone, I heard a still small voice. “Rest in me. Put your hope in me. Look to me for guidance.”
I knew that the Lord was speaking peace to my overwhelmed heart. I could trust Him with my burden, period. I could trust Him with my burden and stop trying to frantically figure things out on my own. The feelings of fear and defeat were still present, but I had a choice to make: Would I turn to God for help, or would I turn to myself?
When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn… (Psalm 142: 3 NLT)
God knew exactly which path we needed to travel in order to bring Michael to health and restoration. I had to acknowledge that going my own way has always caused more anxiety, fear and discouragement than submitting to God. Choosing God’s way has shown me a pathway to follow when I am overwhelmed.
What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed
1. Stop and Rest
2. Listen and Hope in God
3. Look to God for Guidance
My prayer would come from Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
Oh, give Your servant patience to be still,
And bear Your will;
Courage to venture wholly on Your arm
That will not harm;
The wisdom that will never let me stray
Out of my way;
The love that, now afflicting, yet knows best
When I should rest.
God knows what we need. He knows our hearts, our path, and our deepest pains. He is with you, friend—you can trust Him.
Are you feeling overwhelmed today? God knows what you need, look to Him!
Angela is an inspirational speaker and writer who teaches the hard truths of God’s Word in a fun and relevant way. She is also a writing assistant to Joanna Weaver, author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Whatever she is doing, she has a passion to see spiritual growth and an increased sense of purpose in people’s lives. Angela and her husband Michael graduated from Northwest University in 1997 and have been married for 18 years and have 2 children. They currently live in Washington State.
You can follow her on her blog at No Ordinary Days, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.