OVERBURDENED

Overburdened

Contrary to what even many well-intentioned Christians say, God does, in-fact, consistently allow us to heap exponentially more than we can handle upon ourselves.

Some time ago at church I heard about a young married couple that had traveled up North for a wedding. The wife was 8 months pregnant when the car she was in was hit head-on by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. Mom was in critical condition, underwent  multiple surgeries, and survived. The little baby inside her did not.

In what realm of reality, imagination, or fantasy is anyone capable of ‘handling’ that? Nobody. Ever.

I used to work with a guy who knew I was a Christian. He would frequently come to me with current headlines like a pastor being murdered in the pulpit, a mother’s baby dying, or a dad backing up over one of his kids in the driveway. He would flippantly retort, “Hey Kev, where was your God on that one?”

I used to get angry with that guy for asking. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was angry because I secretly wondered the very same thing, “LORD, where were you on that one?”

I didn’t feel like I had the right comeback or theological argument to respond at the time, so I just tried to be honest with him in saying “I don’t know, but I’m trusting that God is working all that stuff out.”

I’ve grown to realize that's the right answer. God is not surprised, incompetent, or incapable in any situation - that’s part of the majesty of God’s sovereignty. God is in fact working all that stuff out.

Where was God in those - and all - tragic circumstances? Right there - working all things out for the good of those who love (or will come to love) Him.

It is most assuredly part of God’s perfect providential plan to allow us to become overburdened, exhausted, broken, and desperate for Him. It’s part of our fallen fleshly DNA to rely upon self until we hit rock bottom. That’s when the facade is unveiled and authenticity can begin with God.

In American football the long pass of desperation toward the End Zone (goal) at the end of a game is called a “Hail Mary.” Sadly, that nomenclature accurately reflects our American view of prayer and God. Feeble, desperate, last resort kind of stuff.

Our approach is to do everything I can my way so that when I win I can worship and praise myself, “Great job me!” But when I’m down by a few points at the end of the game and the clock is expiring, “Hail Mary..." When the ball gets dropped and the final score leaves me short our quip to God is:

“Way to go God. Where were you on that one?”

Our schizophrenic outlook goes something like this: Since God is SOOOO incredibly awesome and powerful, then He certainly doesn’t have time for little ol’ me and my insignificant problems. Simultaneously our alter-ego chastises God for being distant and disinterested in the minute details of our lives. We're the model of mental and spiritual health aren't we?

Therefore, we determine we’ll painstakingly handle everything (so as not to burden God Almighty with our trivial lives) until it gets so crazy that we have absolutely no recourse other than a “Hail Mary” heaved up to God in total desperation.

Sure, it’s a shot-in-the-dark prayer of utter hopelessness, which we don’t really believe will be answered, but with the clock winding down and no other options... we’ll just launch one up there, eyes closed, fingers crossed, and see what happens.

“Way to go God. Where were you on that one?”

Of course when it doesn’t get answered in our timing, our way, and on our terms then we simply add that to the rest of the “evidence” against the existence or interest of a loving, invested, and compassionate God.

God is in the business of answering prayers, but not so much the shot-in-the-dark, eyes closed, fingers crossed type, but rather the on-my-knees, tears-in-my-eyes, head-in-my-hands variety.

The prophet Nehemiah understood prayer is more than hollow words simply hurled heavenward in desperation. Nehemiah understood that prayer not only involves the weighty thoughts and meditations of the human heart and mind, but that God actually SEES OUR PRAYERS in addition to hearing them!

Nehemiah wrote, “let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night.”

Nehemiah understood that God sees our prayers in order to hear them!

That sounds kinda goofy at first, but think about it. God actually sees the condition of our hearts and when we approach God as the Almighty in humility and authentic recognition the Sovereign of the universe sees that we are calling out and He hear us!

God already knows that we have no hope, no power, no ability, no strength, nothing of any merit or value apart from our Creator. So when we approach God as... well, God, then God sees, hears, and answers prayers.

God allows these awful, tragic, and deplorable things this side of eternity so that we never forget that Christ is our anchor, and that our eternal residence is not here.

God allows everyone to be given more than we can handle with the foreknowledge that we will fall to our knees in genuine desperate dependence and recognition of God’s sovereignty over all things, and cry out for help.

Jesus said, “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:13; “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

God’s “way out” is in our Father’s arms.

God is everywhere always, but when things are good we typically ignore God and attribute success and serenity to ourselves - our work ethic, our intellect, our discipline, and our tenacity.

An old friend of mine once said in a sermon, “We see the beauty and love of God most clearly through tears.”

If you are OVERBURDENED in life because of loss, hurt, defeat, depression, or overwhelming circumstances - cry out to God. Not the false gods of self-medication, self-help, new age spiritism, or rigid religious formalism, but God our Creator, Savior, and Friend.

Jesus sees our prayers welling up in our hearts before we pray them.

Ask Jesus Christ to come into the throne room of your heart and reign forever there. Not only will He respond with a resounding “YES!” but He will resolve, reconcile, and redeem every hurt, every slight, and every wound for His glory.

“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain, they will be no more, because the former things have passed away."

Blessings,

-Kevin