Seven Things to Do for Help When Life is Overwhelming

posted October 22, 2013

Are you too busy to enjoy life? Running in too many directions? Does it seem impossible to complete all that is asked of you?

Stressful living is bad for your health is a set-up for tension and anger to build and for relationships to be damaged.

If this is you, stop and evaluate your activities.

1. Prioritize your activities. Is everything necessary? Are your priorities from God? In other words, are they what He wants you to do? (He gives grace for what He demands of us, but He doesn’t promise it will be easy.)
2. Share your load with others. Let a friend or two in on your struggle. Ask them to pray for you and listen to their counsel.
3. “Take my yoke upon you,” –Jesus. If your load is from God, you don’t have to carry it alone. Be sure you’re yoked with Jesus. Let Him shoulder the burden and “you shall find rest for your soul.” (Mt. 11:29-30). Be sure you don’t take it back! If you do, give it back to God. Stay yoked together with Jesus.
4. Confess self-sufficiency. When overwhelmed, it’s easy to get so focused on the tasks at hand that we don’t pause to seek help, but try to handle it all in our own strength. Your strength is limited. The Lord’s is not. If you’ve left him out of the equation, acknowledge your weakness, confess, and ask forgiveness—for any sin, actually.
5. Ask for help. Ask help from God and from others. Delegate what someone else can do for you. If the job can’t be delegated, ask for prayer.
6. Listen for God. “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” and “you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you,” and many more verses offer strength and hope, but you won’t hear what you need in the moment if you don’t take time to listen. Read your Bible, asking God to speak to you.
7. Gaze at God; glance at the problem. If all you see is the things that need to be done, the problem will grow, and you’ll remain overwhelmed. Focus on Jesus. Gaze at Him, and occasionally glance at the problem. Put everything aside and make time to worship Him. Reconnect and re-center yourself under Him through worship.

God will never leave you and He wants to walk with you through your struggles, but He will not impose on you. On the other hand, when you ask for His help and depend on Him, it brings Him honor and glory.
When Jesus is by your side, you can have grace in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.

Have you had a time when all the things you’ve done to reconnect with God seemed to fail? What brought you back into His grace and peace?

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