Many people, not least schoolchildren, rejoice at the sight of a mid-winter snowfall but not so my wife – and that applied even when she was a school child! Indeed, on one of her first schools days as a 5-year old she tells me that she had to crawl up the school drive on hands and knees because of the icy conditions. Karen comes from a small town in the West Midlands that is quite high up and which therefore attracts snow and ice even when other local places are clear. As a result, she can’t enjoy snow when it comes because it always makes her feel a little anxious.
There’s a worship song that begins ‘God, I look to you. I won’t be overwhelmed’. It’s writer is Jenn Johnson and I recently heard her describe how that line came into being. Initially, she would sing to herself ‘God, I look to you ‘cause I am overwhelmed’ expressing the fact that at those particular times she, like Karen, was feeling under stress and anxious.
But then she felt a little voice in her head, the voice of the Holy Spirit, say to her that if she kept singing it like that, then that’s the way her feelings were likely to stay. Rather, the Holy Spirit suggested, she should stand on truth rather than feelings and hence the line was rephrased and her attitude reframed. ‘God, I look to you. I won’t be overwhelmed.’
Of course, those can be easy words to say; not so easy words to feel. We might speak out ‘truth’ but that doesn’t mean that our feelings automatically fall into line. The more we say them, though, the more they will become part of us and help to change the way we see things particularly when we remind ourselves of those scripture verses that serve as the foundation for our reassurance.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or anxious right now then why not try the following verse for starters. It was originally spoken by Moses over Joshua but is equally true for each one of us as well.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Prayer: Lord God, Help me to stand on the truth that you are always there for me and that your love, power and goodness are more than enough for any situation I might face. God I look to you. I won’t be overwhelmed. Amen.
(Photo by Nathan Wolfe on Unsplash)