Life as a whole has been utterly overwhelming in many ways recently. It seems the storms keep coming and yet the rainbows are always there at the end to remind me of Gods love and faithfulness through it all. The troubles are not the only overwhelming part; the joy and peace and excitement for the future are also equally overwhelming. It is strange because at any given moment I’m not sure if I should burst into laughter or tears, and if I’m being honest I often feel I’m on the verge of both.

I’m a mixture of terrified and hopeful mixed together with an abundance of joy from the Lord. This type A planner is experiencing first hand what feels very much like an all out free fall into the arms of Christ. Thankfully I am positive He will catch me, and this makes the unknown feel a lot more comforting.

I am so thankful that right now during a time in life where I just don’t have the answers and can’t even remotely see the bigger picture I know that God sees me. El Roi. That is the Hebrew name of God which means “the God who sees me”. There are so many different names for God found in the Bible and each one brings me so much comfort. To know that the Creator of my heart knows me intimately and has purpose for my life that I may glorify Him… is just completely overwhelming. I cannot wrap my head around it.

This past weekend I watched The Passion of the Christ and I was just left speechless and almost emotionless because I just couldn’t even comprehend the magnitude of what Jesus went through for us. It’s like my brain just stopped working, like I was having a processing overload. There are no words to describe, no emotions to express which can properly convey the weight of the gospel. This is why my response to the cross is to bow in praise to God for all He has done. Because I cannot understand the momentousness of the weight of my sin and the penalty that was mine – but because of Christ I have been set free. It is overwhelming.

He calls me chosen and loved and wonderfully made and it is completely overwhelming. I wish there was a way to open the eyes and hearts of those who don’t believe in the Gospel so that they too could understand the greatness of the love of God.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will callon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

In this passage Jeremiah was writing to the exiles from Jerusalem who were in Babylon at the time. Although this original text is written to a specific audience it still has value as wonderful truth and encouragement for us today. We see that God knows the plans he has for us. Take comfort in knowing that not only does He see you, but He has plans for you! You are not forgotten. Not only does he have plans, but we learn that he has plans that are good for you! His plans are not to harm us, and they will give us hope!

It might feel like if we put our trust in Christ that our lives will be lacking this or we need to give up that. A lot of times we feel that we will be missing out on something by doing things God’s way, but the truth is we will be gaining everything.

Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” 

Yes, that may sound a little backwards, and really in many respects it is. Giving up our lives will give us life? It’s one of those things that sounds crazy but when put into practice is actually true. Letting go of what we think we need so that we can allow God to be our everything is truly the most amazing gift of all. Knowing that He will provide and comfort and guide us through it all is something so precious nothing of this world could ever hold a candle to it.

If living life for the Lord feels overwhelming then you are in good company. It is overwhelming. Though the burden is light (see Matthew 11:30) the beauty of the Gospel is completely and utter overwhelming. What God did for us is overwhelming. And yet, here we are, fully loved by God with the opportunity to know him more and be saved by His amazing grace just by putting our trust in Christ. It’s that simple.

If your heart is feeling overwhelmed or even perplexed by the Gospel I would encourage you to continue to push on and find the answers that you need. God loves you deeply and wants nothing more than for you to allow Him to have a relationship with you. What are you waiting for?

Let’s pray:

God, we thank you for your overwhelming love and joy. For your steadfast pursuit of our hearts and for your plans to prosper us. We are overwhelmed by your goodness and your saving grace. You reached out into the darkness of this world through your perfect son and changed our eternal destiny. How could we ever fully express our gratitude? We cannot. And so, we turn to you in worship. We surrender our lives to you. We give our whole hearts to you Lord. We are yours and that is overwhelming. Thank you. In Jesus name, Amen.