Woman to Woman: An Overwhelmed Heart

Have you ever felt like the answer to your prayers involved adding more confusion, complexity, and intensity to your already painful circumstances?

Navigating these feelings in my current season of life revealed my growing need for God’s guidance when my heart is overwhelmed.

Like many, I turn to the Psalms for solace and language of expression when my heart is overwhelmed. Recently reminded of the treasure of Psalm 25, I mined incredible wisdom from the man after God’s own heart, enriching my relationship with God in troubled times.

One of many times David entreats God for deliverance while in desperate circumstances, Psalm 25 models for us an approach to God which dispels fear and unbelief while gaining the correct perspective of God and His ways in troubling times.

“Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.”

(Psalm 25:1-3)

Notice how David approaches God: before listing the situation driving him to God, he asks for something deeper.

David is not making this about him; on the contrary, by asking God to preserve his integrity, he pleads for God to preserve HIS glory.

David publicly and repetitively declared his trust in God. If God allowed David to be put to shame and defeated by his enemies, God’s name would be put to open shame.

David then moves into asking for the need of his overwhelmed heart. With his life hanging in the balance notice what David’s request contains:

“Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O Lord.”

(Psalm 25:4-7)

Transitioning from the first three verses to verses four through seven, puzzled me. When my heart is overwhelmed, my vision sees only the looming problem. Yet in these verses, David mentions his enemies not one time.

David’s focus steadfastly fixes on the Source of help, rather than the problem.

How many times I approach God in fear, anger, or panic, engulfed in the problem rather than the Source of help? As a result, my requests tend towards the removal of the problem and relief from the problem. David asks for neither!

David’s overwhelmed heart requested only two things:

Guidance. Painful, confusing, and overwhelming circumstances often leave us feeling unsure of how to act. Like us, David most likely felt the same way, yet instead of asking for removal or relief, he asked God to reveal His ways and His truths. Humbling himself before the God of his salvation.

Forgiveness. David had an accurate view of himself and his circumstances; he faced his guilt and sinful nature, seeking forgiveness and God’s mercy upon him.

The most revealing section of the whole psalm comes in verses sixteen to twenty-two. In David’s prayer for his desperate situation, he relates his feelings at the very last. He first brings the problem to God, then he petitions God for his need of wisdom and forgiveness, confesses his deep faith in God, and finally shares the emotions swirling in his heart.

Sitting with David’s words in this psalm, I believe the order in which he petitioned God holds great significance for us.

Confessing what he believed about God before baring his emotions to God reveals David’s reliance on his knowledge of and personal experience with God.

Accepting and praying for trials and suffering we find overwhelming, confusing, and troubling, becomes clear as we follow David through Psalm 25. When my heart is overwhelmed, following the man after God’s own heart, I bring my troubles to the Lord, ask God for wisdom and forgiveness, confess my belief about God to Him, finally casting my anxiety, fear, and pain upon Him.

Learning to stir up my faith through the rehearsal of God’s goodness and faithfulness gave me the courage to subsequently cast my troubles upon Him rather than fixate on them. Resulting in my resting in the knowledge that all His paths are steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness.

Reflection:

How does your perspective when facing trials differ from David’s?

What one step can you take today towards honoring God in the midst of your trial?