Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Overwhelmed
By Lexi Ellis

“…I am overwhelmed with joy despite all our troubles.”
2 Corinthians 7:4b, (MSG, paraphrase)

This August, there was an unexpected opportunity for me professionally, though the timing sure didn’t seem ideal. For the few that knew what was going on, “overwhelmed” became the word  to describe what I was experiencing professionally and feeling emotionally. In the midst of it all, I heard a song on the radio that prompted me to reevaluate the word.

“I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming

I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You” [1]

Not the word!  It was supposed to be synonymous with alone, worry, stressed. And yet, over and over again, this song proclaimed it as a positive, one that demonstrated God’s unfathomable goodness.

Curious, I went to Scripture, searching for uses of the word. The first two uses I found fit “my definition” perfectly: “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear” (Psalm 38:4, NIV).  “Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me” (Psalm 55:5, NIV).

Then I got to the New Testament translations and paraphrases… When referring to Jesus, “People were overwhelmed with amazement...” (Mark 7:37a, NIV).  Elizabeth’s “neighbors and relatives, seeing that God had overwhelmed her with mercy, celebrated with her” (Luke 1: 58, MSG, paraphrase). And in the verse above, Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, overwhelmed with joy.

All of a sudden, my definition seemed limited; I was missing the other half. The realities of our situations and the emotions don’t necessarily get easier. But we can’t stop at exclusively seeing our own circumstances. How much more overwhelming is the goodness of God? How much more overwhelming is His gift of sending Himself to reconcile the relationship with us?

"All that You’ve done is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You" [1]

In the midst of feeling defeated, we are called to be reminded that we are overwhelmingly covered by God’s goodness. The real and big “overwhelmed-ness” I felt with my circumstances and emotions meant that the love God lavishes is even more. The depths of His grace are so much greater…unfathomable and overwhelmingly. 

Going Deeper:
1. Make a moment to identify what overwhelms you. Don’t invalidate the struggles but recognized how much more overwhelming God’s goodness is.
2. Click HERE to listen to the song. What phrases of this more complete definition of “overwhelmed” is meaningful for you?

Further Reading:
1 John 3:1; Psalm 107:1; Romans 8:28

[1] Big Daddy Weave, Album: Love Come to Life, “I’m Overwhelmed by You” ©2012; http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bigdaddyweave/overwhelmed.html

Lexi is married to Andrew and has a puppy named Calvin. She serves with Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries, teaches sixth grade at Silver Lake Intermediate School and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
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