I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3
In 1995 I had a grand mal seizure and was put on seizure medication without a thorough investigation of the circumstances. We would learn later that I did not need it. Problematically, if you take seizure medication and don’t need it, it can cause seizures. Consequently, for the next nine years I endured petit mals or absence seizures. The first one occurred after my wife and I returned home from a dance. While we were talking with our children, Marie noticed that my expression changed to a vacant stare. In order to avoid alarming our children, she moved close to me, took my hand, lead me to our bedroom and had me sit down. In a few moments I returned to normal function. Through experimentation and discussion, we learned that while I could not initiate movement or speech, I could be led by others and I could nod faintly in response to yes or no questions. However, for the most part, I was immobilized and temporarily stuck in a very confining world. As I think about those seizures, I’m reminded of times when I’ve been stuck in life. Usually, I’m immobilized by one of three things: fear, fatigue or indecision. Can you relate? When this occurs, we need to look to our God to reach down, lift us out of the mire and reestablish us.
In our world, we certainly have potential for real physical threats and we do need live our lives with a healthy respect of them. Consequently, we look when we cross the street, we lock our doors at night and we don’t leave young children unattended. We also may have legitimate health concerns. Again we need to be aware of the warning signs and live our lives with a healthy respect of potential problems. In this case, we take our medication, watch our diet and stay aware of real changes in our body and ability to function. However, despite these legitimate concerns, God tells us not to live in fear. There are two considerable problems with fear. First, we can become paralyzed and allow anxiety to keep us from living a joyful life before God. Mark Twain said: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” Certainly, we have all had difficulties in life, but often many of the things that we fear most don’t materialize or, if they do, are not nearly as horrible as we imagined. Further, there are those things that are inevitable and over which we have no control. Our health issues may become significant, we will lose loved ones and one day we ourselves will die. Many are so caught up in the fear of death that they fail to live while they still have breath. No matter what concerns we face, we are reminded: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7) Did you catch that? God cares for you…He loves you. The second problem with fear is that, because we aren’t in control and are not fully informed, we would prefer to usurp God’s position. We forget that God is watching out not only for our bodies, but more importantly for our souls. In Psalm 127 we are promised “The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. (vs. 7-8) No matter what we face, God is overseeing our lives and caring for us with perfection and attention to details of which we are incapable. We can choose to worry about what may happen, or we can live in the present dealing with the issues at hand fully appreciating and enjoying the positive events of our lives. When you feel overwhelmed, reach out to God and allow His promises and sustaining grace to comfort you, encourage you, lift your spirits and move you to a place of peace.
As someone who suffers from chronic fatigue, I certainly understand how weariness can stop us in our tracks and weigh us down. I also understand how it can lead to feelings of being mentally, physically and spiritually overwhelmed by even the slightest task. Both God the father and Christ modeled the need for balance between work and rest. As Christ shows us, rest comes in two forms: physical and spiritual. Because our bodies tell us when we need physical rest, we are more readily aware when we need to relax or sleep. However, our souls need rest as well. That comes in the form of time with our Father. In those times we share our burdens and look to His word for instruction. There will be times when life demands much of us spiritually, physically or both. It is in those times that we trust that God will sustain us through Christ just as He has on the lighter days. Further, we are reminded that we do not face the challenges before us alone. Christ encourages us to let Him bear the load in Matthew 11:29-30 by telling us: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Whatever you’re facing, you don’t need to face it alone because you are also promised that God will never leave you or forsake you.
Finally, too often we are immobilized by indecision. Our biggest failure in this regard is trying to make decisions on our own. Proverbs 3:5-6 we’re told “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This is so basic. Yet how many times do we hear someone say: “The only thing left is prayer.” It should be the first thing to do. While we have a responsibility to use the mind God gave us to diligently weigh the facts at hand, we should first and always be looking for God’s leading. Another common error we often make is allowing fear of failure to cripple us. We are so afraid of making the wrong decision that we make no decision. In this we need to: trust God’s leading, remember that indecision is a decision, and that we make the best decisions we can with the facts that we have.
Where are you today…do you feel emotionally or spiritually stuck? Are you crippled with fear of what may happen or what is inevitable? Are you overwhelmed by the demands before you and just worn out? Are you faced with difficult decisions that seem to have no right answer? Are you facing multiple issues that leave you feeling unable to move or function? If not, praise God and give Him the glory. If so, allow God to lift you up and guide you. A good way to start is to use David’s prayer at the end of Psalm 40. “You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. For evils beyond number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; they are more numerous than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me. Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it; let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt. Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, ‘Aha, aha!’ Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!’ Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.” (Psalm 40:11-17) It is both a confirmation of God’s truth and a plea for His help. Allow it to move you in the right direction and restore you to a place of wellbeing in spite of the circumstances that make your life difficult. When He has accomplished it, remember to praise Him and give Him the glory.