Feeling overwhelmed is not just specific to us, we see in scripture that even Jesus experienced times where He was greatly overwhelmed.
- In fact, the night before Jesus was crucified, Jesus was so overwhelmed that the book of Luke records that His sweat became like drops of blood.
- Can you imagine what Jesus must have been experiencing in that moment. He knew the price he had to pay, He knew the beating He was about to receive, and He knew the cross He had to bear. Jesus understood for the first time in His life that He was going to be separated from God.
Listen to this account from Mark 14:32-36, “They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he begun to be deeply distressed and troubled. ”My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death, He said to them. Stay here and keep watch. Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father”, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will”.
In this text Jesus shows us how He dealt with being overwhelmed and how he found the strength to push through and accomplish God’s will for his life. I believe if we take these principles and apply them to our lives, we too can find the peace and strength that we need to keep going through life.
Jesus teaches us some lessons we can apply when we find ourselves overwhelmed:
Admit that You Are Overwhelmed.
That is what Jesus did in verse 34, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” Jesus said. Call on those close to you as Jesus did in verse 32-33, “They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, Sit here while I pray. He took Peter, James, and John along with him. Do you have friends that will hold you up when you feel like falling? Do you have friends that will speak the truth in love? Do you have those friends you can call on? Jesus did…..
Jesus Took His Burden to the Father in Prayer.
Verse 35-36 tells us, “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass. “Abba, Father”, he said, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will”. INSIGHT, Being overwhelmed is not necessarily a sign that you are outside of God’s will. In fact you can be smack dab in the center of the will of God and be overwhelmed. When we find ourselves overwhelmed, that’s a great invitation to turn to Jesus so we can find strength through Him. The good news is, just like Jesus, we can bring our burdens to the Father and we can find rest in our souls.
Cast Your Cares on Jesus.
Cast your burdens upon Jesus because He cares for you. Romans 15:13 tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. So maybe you are overwhelmed by day to day pressure. Or you could be overwhelmed because of things you can’t control. Is there a possibility you need to look at you priorities in life? Maybe you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior. This is the time to take a personal inventory and invite Jesus into your heart. If your have strayed from the word of God, today is the day to repent and return to His word. I encourage You to follow the examples of Jesus when life’s demands begin to burden you down in life.
I LOVE EACH OF YOU IN CHRIST,
PASTOR RICHIE
