Overwhelmed
By Lexi
Ellis
“…I am overwhelmed with joy despite
all our troubles.”
2 Corinthians 7:4b, (MSG, paraphrase)
A few years ago, 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]
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]
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:
Lexi’s family consists of her, her husband, Andrew, her
daughter, Sloane, and her dog, Calvin. She teaches sixth grade Reading and
Writing and serves with Children’s Ministries.
[1] Big
Daddy Weave, Album: Love Come to Life, “I’m Overwhelmed by You” ©2012; http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bigdaddyweave/overwhelmed.html
