Overwhelmed?
Does God Give us more than we can handle?
This idea comes from a verse in 1 Corinthians but the phrase is NOT found in the Bible.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it. 1 Cor 10:14
Biblical Examples
In his next letter, Paul writes:
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. 2 Cor 1:8-11
I don’t know about you, but ‘utterly burdened beyond our strength’ sounds like OVERWHELMED to me. Paul and the early Christians were not the only ones we have as examples in the Bible.
Job, lost wealth, all children died, got super sick, and spouse was unsupportive
Joseph, life was a roller-coaster and just when it was getting steady, he was punished for being righteous
Elijah, after a major God-victory, got so scared by a threat he prayed he would die
Mary, lonely unwed mother shunned by society
Nehemiah, risked his career to follow God’s call to do an insurmountable project
David, suffered with severe depression, walked through the valley of the shadow of death
Gideon, leading an army of 300 instead of 32,000
Esther, the only hope for an entire people was her risking her life
Hannah, so troubled in spirit about her barrenness she wept and wouldn’t eat
Jesus, sweat drops of blood
“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.” Mark 14:34-36
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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.” (Matt. 11:28-30)
The Attack of Overwhelm Today
A comforting thought from a friend, “I have always been so glad that God doesn’t measure out His grace at the beginning of the day, or week, or month and then say, “Too bad, you’ve run out, you’ll have to wait now for a new supply.” His goodness is moment-by-moment and, in my life so MANY times, minute-to-minute. You are grace-full all the time because you are full of HIM.”
I believe that YOU, Christian mother, are a major target of Satan’s. He wants to steal our joy, make us fear, and is the father of lies. If he can get us drowning in overwhelm, we don’t see children as a blessing and are not joy-filled mothers. Overwhelm is a spiritual attack and we need to see it as such and pray against it as such.
Why does God give us, or allow us to experience, more than we can handle? So that we come to Him. So that we need Him. Rely on Him. So that we live our lives in His strength. We can do so much more than we could on our own. We can be who He really wants us to be through the refining process of having more than we can bear. We can learn humility and compassion. And we can grow.
Hard times are not fun. We are usually not running around rejoicing while being crushed by a huge burden. Thankfulness is not our instinctive reaction. But hard is not the same thing as bad. The difficult season you’re going through may be God’s invitation for you to come to Him, receive Him, and experience His Peace that passes all understanding. If He only allowed what we could handle, how would we see our desperate need for Him?
So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12:7-10
Practical steps
- Sleep – when low on sleep all of life is more overwhelming. Little irritants are magnified. It may not be possible to completely remedy this in this season, but be aware of it and don’t feel guilty taking naps when you can!
- Eat – I have noticed that when just about every meal seems rushed or on-the-go that I’m trying to do too much and need to cut back. Eating in a hurry or not having time to make nutritious meals for my family is a warning flag that I’ll likely soon feel overwhelmed or anxious. 1 Kings 19, Mark 6:31
- Take a hard look at our schedules. God has given us enough time to do what HE wants us to do. Are we aligned with His priorities? Our culture is often addicted to busyness, and we have a hard time saying no. Sometimes we inflict upon ourselves too much for us to handle. Maybe we’re trying to juggle a second job, or a job outside the home, maybe we care in an unhealthy measure what other people think of us, taking on emotional burdens that are not ours to worry about… Whatever our reason may be, we should look to see if we are partially responsible for putting too much on our own plate.
I know it’s funny and probably only moms can relate, but the only quiet moments of semi-calm some days seem to be when I am in the bathroom myself to pee. So when you sit on the toilet for a moment to breathe during the overwhelm, remember the 5 “P’s”:
- Pray. Mark 14:34-36, Ps. 61:1-4, Phil. 4:6, Rom. 15:13, 1 John 5:14
- Praise. Phil. 4:4, 11-13, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Heb. 13:15
- (Get a) Partner. 2 Cor. 1:11, Mk 6:31, James 5:16, Gal. 6:2, 1 Thess. 5:25
- (Get) Perspective. 1 Peter 1:6-7, 2 Cor. 12:9-10, Is. 40:28-31
- (Get God’s) Peace. Ps. 23:1-4, Is. 26:3, 40:11, 43:2, Phil. 4:4-8, Rom. 15:13
Opposite of overwhelm? Confident hope.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom 15:13 NLT
She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Prov. 31:2
FREE Bible Verse Printable – Encouraging Scriptures to stick up around your house to remind you that God is with you, His joy will fill you, and His strength will hold you up!
Would you like to do this as a small group or Bible Study? Here’s a printable of a handout with blanks!
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Do you struggle with anxiety, depression, or feeling overwhelmed? Would you like prayer? Message me and I’ll pray for you!
