Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Does it seem like you are drowning or buried by some aspect of life? If so, you are not alone. It is something many of us experience at some point, and, perhaps, all too often. In these hours of trial, we may find guidance and comfort in the psalmists descriptions of their experiences in being overwhelmed in spirit or heart.
So, how did the psalmists respond to being overwhelmed? First and foremost, they cried out to God. They were not silent but called to the One who sees and knows all and who cares more than any other. Each looked to God to hear and respond. Asaph recalled, “I cried unto God with my voice … and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord” (Psalm 77:1-2); an unnamed psalmist asked, “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily” (Psalm 102:1-2); and David reported, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,” “with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication, I poured out my complaint before him, I showed before him my trouble” (Psalm 61:2; 142:1-2).
Secondly, the psalmists described details of their troubles, such as “my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted … I am so troubled that I cannot speak”; “the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead”; “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul”; and “my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread” (Psalm 77: 2, 4; 143:3; 142:4; 102:3-4).
Thirdly, each psalmist recalled things that God had done before. For instance, the unnamed psalmist stated, “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands”; Asaph declared, “I will remember the works of the LORD,” “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters … Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron”; and David relayed, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works” (Psalm 102:25; 77:12, 20; 143:5).
Fourthly, the psalmists acknowledged God’s greatness and their reliance on Him. For example, they proclaimed, “Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living”; “who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people”; and “thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy” (Psalm 142:5; 77:13-14; 61:3).
Finally, the psalmists sought or expected specific responses from God. David requested, “deliver me from my persecutors,” “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning … cause me to know the way wherein I should walk .. Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies,” and “Thou wilt prolong the king’s life … O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him” (Psalm 142:6; 143:8-9; 61:6-7). Additionally, the unnamed psalmist observed that the Lord “will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer (Psalm 102:17).
In our times of great trouble, may we respond like David, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer … when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” and “So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever” (Psalm 61:1-2,
Merrily