WHEN YOU HAVE OVERWHELMING PROBLEMS OR CONCERNS, WHAT DO YOU DO?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
From the ends of the earth I call to You,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
(Psalms 61:2)

MEDITATION:
When you are discouraged, who do you seek to encourage you?
When you are depressed, who do you seek to lift your spirit?
When you are in trouble, who do you seek to help you?
When you have a decision to make, who do you seek to advise you?

The psalmist sought the Lord in ‘all’ his circumstances. When he says
“my heart grows faint”, we can assume he was very distressed. He may
have been heavily discouraged or in a state of depression, but at any
rate, he needed help. He calls out to God from the “ends of the earth”,
which tells us that no matter where he was, he sought help from God.

It’s one thing to call out to God, but another thing altogether to call out
to Him with expectations. The psalmist had a type of relationship with
the Lord that was so close that when he called out to Him, he knew the
Lord would hear him and respond.

When he says, “the rock that is higher than I”, he is admitting his need for
divine help, which can only come from the Lord. How comforting it must
have been for him to know that the Lord was with him and would fulfill
his needs.

When we sense the valley the psalmist was in, we need to realize that when
we are rescued (saved) by the Lord, we will not live a life that’s filled with a
perpetual ‘spiritual high’. The psalmist, David, was ‘a man after God’s own
heart’ and yet, he had his share of problems (some due to bad decisions he
had made).
    After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified
    concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after
    my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
    (Acts 13:22)

The psalmist wasn’t the only one who loved the Lord, but still had
some valleys in their lives. Paul suffered persecutions of many types.
but continued with his calling to spread the ‘good news’ of salvation.
Job was identified as a Godly man, and yet he suffered enormous
physical and emotional pains.
    In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job.
    This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and
    shunned evil.
    (Job 1:1)

When we spend time reading God’s Word (bible), we can see that
all three of these men knew that even in the midst of their ‘valleys’,
God’s grace, peace, mercy and joy were available to them…they
just needed to ‘call out’ to Him.
    “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may
      have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But
      take heart! I have overcome the world.”
      (John 16:33)

ACTION:
We may not understand the ‘valleys’ we have in our own lives at times,
but the God who was available for David, Paul and Job is the same One
who hears and responds to us when we cry out to Him (the rock that is
higher than we are).

We should never get the idea that we don’t want to ‘bother’ the Lord
with our problems so He can meet the needs of others. He’s big enough
to handle concerns of all people (which is difficult to wrap our minds
around, and requires our faith that what we read in the bible, is true).

We need to also remember that God wants our ‘dependence’ and not
our ‘independence’. When we think we will ‘help God out’ by trying
to resolve things that are higher than us, it’s not an admirable gesture,
but more of an arrogant, self-sufficient attitude.

Tears will come, pressures will be felt, disappointments will hurt, and
temptations will overwhelm, but we have His power to assist us with
whatever comes our way. Sometimes we can sense His presence, His
love, and His power the most when we are in a valley.
    And we know that in all things God works for the
    good of those who love him, who have been called
    according to his purpose.
    (Romans 8:28)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for being there to handle the things
that are too big for me. Thank You for the scriptures that tell me
how You were there for others and assure me that You will be there
for me as well. Help me to develop the kind of relationship that the
psalmist had with You. Teach me to call out to You in all my adverse
circumstances. Create in me a grateful heart so that I will call out to
You often, whether things are going bad or great. Remind me that
when things are good, it means I am enjoying Your blessings.”

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