PSALM 22:23 – You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
THEME OF THE DAY. OVERWHELMED OR AWED? There will be tough things coming into our lives today. If not today, for sure a time in the near future. We don’t coast our way into heaven. We fight our way into heaven, slugging it out against the devil, the world, and the flesh. And part of that fight is learning to see God in every circumstance, every trial, and every difficult season. It really boils down to the theme of today’s nugget; Are we going to live overwhelmed by life’s challenges or live in awe over God working in us through life’s challenges? Let’s explore both today.
First, we may easily get overwhelmed by life’s circumstances if we allow two things to occur. First, neglect of our most important relationship in our lives, that with the Lord Jesus. Miss or not plan for times of seeking and beholding Him in His Word and prayer, and being overwhelmed in life will happen. Not might happen, but will happen. Leave a spiritual void in our hearts, minds, and souls through spiritual neglect, and the devil, world, and flesh will rush in and fill that void with stress, worry, anxiety, and all the other emotions of being overwhelmed. We will drown in the seas of life’s demands, responsibilities, and busyness if we neglect growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:18). Another thing that will contribute to being overwhelmed in life is to forget the things in this world are quickly fading (1 John 2:15-17). I am amazed how easily we can be overwhelmed with the things of this life and drop into paralyzing unbelief and mistrust of God in the midst of trying times. The evidences of unbelief and mistrust are manifested by worry and prayerlessness in tough times. Isn’t it strange we claim to trust the Lord Jesus for the most important thing in our lives – salvation and eternity, but fret, stress, and lose hours of sleep over the passing things in this life? Being overwhelmed in life may come upon us quickly. All it takes is neglecting the Lord and failing to look “big picture” at a fast approaching eternity.
Now, let’s look at the other side . . . of being awed over God’s work in us through life’s challenges. Do we believe God is sovereign over all things? Do we believe that “all things do work together for good to those who love God?” (Romans 8:28). Of course we do, but that belief will be tested and that through difficult times. One of the most important disciplines to learn in the Christian life is to see everything God-centered, not me-centered. That means every trying relationship; every difficult family situation; every challenging job circumstance . . . basically everything in our lives is to be seen through God’s eyes, not ours. If we do this, we will live in awe of how good, wise, and faithful God is to us. He will take all our failures, fumblings, bumblings, stumblings, and seemingly unbearable circumstances in our lives and turn them all for good, making us like the Lord Jesus. Isn’t that simply amazing? Isn’t that awe-producing to see how God can make everything beautiful? Even our sinning.
To be overwhelmed by life or to live in awe of God in life – those are the choices we must make and will make every day of our lives. May He help us to live in awe of Him as He does His incredible work of grace in us.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to be in awe of You by seeing Your hand in all the circumstances in my life”
QUOTE: “Learn to be in awe of God in the circumstances of life instead of being overwhelmed in the circumstances of life”