Overwhelmed by it all? Try This Approach Instead

“O God, I can’t do this on my own.  I’m overwhelmed. Help me, Jesus. . .Jesus, please help me. . .”  These are the words, the prayer I used to begin my breakout session at our Beautifully Broken conference on Saturday. It was such a privilege to be a part of this endeavor where God’s presence was experienced by so many. I met a lot of very special ladies who I pray were also blessed.

In a way, the above prayer felt like I was undressing myself in front of an audience of women, as I shared with them bits of my own broken and vulnerable places from the past year. The bottom line is this: I am sunk, finished, done unless God continues to show up and work on my behalf. And I think this is true for all believers. Knowing a certain trial is too big for me to handle ought to terrify me. Instead, confessing my inadequacies to God has become the most liberating response to hard times I could have imagined. Let me explain.

Admitting that we, apart from God, don’t have what it takes to do everything expected of us is really what Matthew 5:3 looks like fleshed out. It’s a verse I would choose to tattoo across my arm if I ever had the guts to do it. Jesus tells his disciples in this verse, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”  

Here’s why I love this verse so much. Being poor in spirit is in complete contrast to the world’s message of what strength in a person should look like. Being poor in spirit means we acknowledge we’re at the end of our rope. And when we do this, Jesus says, “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”  He rewards us with the fullness of Christ Himself. God created each one of us with a need for Him, a void only He can fill. Our inefficiencies were His intention, to need Him and to need others. Our weakness never catches God by surprise.

Whenever a trial shows us we have run out of ideas, resources, strength and hope, we are being emptied of our prideful self. And that’s a good thing. When we become emptied of “self,” there is much more room for God to come in and do His work in us. When we step back in trust and release control to the One who is in control (and who loves us like crazy), the result is a true encounter with God. Others will begin to see less of “us” and more of the fullness of Jesus in us. Isn’t that why we’re here?

So, I’d propose we start doing like the Apostle Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. After he pleaded with the Lord over and over again to take away his weakness (his thorn in the flesh), Jesus answered Paul. But not in the way Paul might have expected. Jesus responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Weakness which leads to power? Paul understood. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,” he said, “so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Paul didn’t just tolerate his weaknesses, he learned to boast about them. He knew that these were the exact areas in his life where Jesus would show up and often, show  off. The same is true for you and me.

The next time we are hit with a challenge, rather than putting on some facade and pretending we have things under control, let’s imitate Paul. Let’s boast about our weaknesses. Instead of being fearful our inadequacies might be exposed (ie. I honestly have no clue what the future will look like for my son with special needs), why don’t we remember to add this to our boasting of weaknesses …”BUT GOD. But God is sufficient to meet all my needs (Phil 4:19).”  How incredibly freeing it is when we can get down on our knees and cry out, “Help me, Lord.” His help is on the way.