“Worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.” – Psalm 2:11
The word "overwhelmed" carries a negative connotation. Throughout high school and college, I used this particular word to describe my emotional state. It was most certainly negative. I prayed for peace and release from all pressures. My desire for good grades was, indeed, overwhelming. Thankfully I survived (at times I doubted this outcome).
Recently I have again become overwhelmed. This time, however, I am overwhelmed in an entirely new and wonderful way. I now testify to the fact that being overwhelmed can actually be a positive thing. To give you some context, I must take you back several months. Last summer was an incredibly trying time in my life. To put it simply, I do not handle change well. My routine, predictable, secure life was changed and I knew more inevitable changes were right around the corner. As a result, my trust in the Lord was challenged and I crumpled in anxiety and fear (to read more about this, click here: http://coffeebeancait.blogspot.com/2011/08/necessary-straining.html ). Thankfully my God is faithful to me even when I doubt Him and He lovingly carried me out of that dismal state. I cannot adequately express my thankfulness to Him!
While in the worst of that difficult time, I wondered if a time of peace and blessing would ever return. I suppose darkness has a way of bringing such doubt. Here I am today on the other side of that darkness and experiencing abundant joy! Life is still completely changing but this time rather than fearing the change, Christ is giving me a desire for it and the courage to face it. He still has not specifically answered my every question, but He is present. He is my refuge and safety! No matter what happens, He never changes! Looking back on the hard times of life is an opportunity for praise! Those hard times evidence His consistency, His healing love, and His unrelenting presence in a life that is willing to follow Him no matter what!
Though this time of life is not easy, it is a time filled with incredible blessings! These blessings came out of nowhere in ways I least expected. These changes will require challenges, but I am overwhelmed with the peace that my God will supply my every need and direct my every step. All of these mounting blessings become better each day and thus, I am overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving! This overwhelming joy literally causes me to stop whatever I am doing and bow my heart to the Lord. As Lord of all He has the power and wisdom to give and to take away. He knows when to allow times of hardship and when to give times of blessing. I embrace this time of blessing with full knowledge that another time of hardship may be waiting down the road.
Whether in a time of blessing or a time of hardship, the joy He provides remains as faithfully as He does. So I worship my King in reverence and I rejoice with trembling, knowing that it is not my circumstances that determine my joy or lack thereof; the presence, power, authority, and unconditional love of my Almighty Savior determine the state of my heart. Though I have not seen Him, I love Him, and though I do not see Him now, but believe in Him, I greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (see 1 Peter 1:8)!
Jesus Christ is faithful to provide exactly what we need exactly when we need it. When we surrender our lives to Him, He surpasses our hopes and desires in ways we could never imagine! Difficult times will still come, but His enabling grace joyfully brings us through the difficulty. Whether we are overwhelmed with difficulties or overwhelmed with blessings, may we always readily surrender to Him because we know He is worthy, He is good, and He is faithful! In humble reverence and inexpressible joy, may we praise Him and rejoice with trembling!
Picture credit: understandmenow.com
Sanctified and Surrendered by Caitlin Marie Stacy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
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