WHEN MY HEART IS OVERWHELMED
Psalms 61:1-4 NKJ
1 Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
David is praying about God’s help and protection. David is wise enough to go to God when he is feeling as if life is too much. That is wisdom. David experienced trouble but David knew where to go when trouble came his way.
David starts by asking God to hear his prayer, so he is talking to God. It seems David spoke to the Lord frequently, and not only when he was in trouble. David wrote many psalms of praise to God. That’s a good balance praying for help and praising God.
Verse two is a great word picture. “When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” David’s prayer to God is to lead him out of feeling as if his heart is overwhelmed. Again, we see David’s confidence in God. He knew where to go when he was feeling overwhelmed. And just the fact that David, the mighty warrior and king, could feel as if his heart was overwhelmed is somewhat comforting. Too often, Christians feel badly if they are feeling overwhelmed. Their thought was that if they had more faith, they would not feel this way. But faith does not make us immune to negative feelings. Faith in God enables us to come out of the negativity to a better place. This was David’s prayer: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. David knew that God did not want him feeling overwhelmed and that God was the answer for his overwhelmed heart.
We see David’s belief in God in verses three and four. Here is David declaring who God has been to him. God has been his strong tower and shelter from the enemy. Here in a difficult time, David is reminding himself what God has done for him in the past. By remembering what God has done, David is reinforcing the belief that he is not starting from square one, but rather, he has a history with God, who has helped him.
Then David declares what he will do: “I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” David will not stay in an overwhelmed state. He has a God who protects him and is a safe place for him. He has a God who is the rock that is higher.
APPLICATION
David’s words were recorded for a reason. These are inspired words that provide a pattern for us. When we feel overwhelmed at heart, we don’t have to continually stay in that condition.
We can pray and ask God for His help. We can declare who He has been to us. This is important. In times of feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to forget what God has done for us in the past. He is our salvation and has helped us far more than we even realize. And we can declare that we will stay with the Lord and trust Him.
PRAYER
Lord, I am grateful that feeling overwhelmed is temporary. I ask You to show me the way out of this situation, just as You have helped me in the past. I trust You and will stay close to You. You are my light and my salvation. You are the strength of my life. You are the rock that is above the fog and smog of negativity.