I’m an avid dictionary/thesaurus user because I love words – I mean, REALLY love words. So when I want to expound on a particular word (which happens often), I go straight to these reference materials in order to look for a deeper meaning. Geeky, right? But then you already knew that about me.
Today, the word overwhelm required some fleshing out so that I could write this post. There were no surprises, but here is some of what I found: astonished, overcome, engulfed, visibly moved, blown-away, swept off one’s feet, speechless, conquered, defeated.
I think we’ve all experienced that overwhelming feeling of defeat, of feeling conquered by life. We often have too much on our plates, or yet another crisis raises its ugly head, or we become the dumping ground for every friend and family member’s problem. Then there are financial worries, health concerns, and that flat tire on the car. Every one of us has been there in some way.
But what about the flip side of being overwhelmed?
Like being overwhelmed by the presence of God.
To be so in awe of Him that we are overcome by His Holy Spirit.
To be so aware of how deeply He dwells in us that we can do nothing else but pour out to others His love and grace and peace.
To give Him control of every area of ourselves and be continually in the process of renewal and perfecting.
To seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.
To forget Him less and less each day.
To be so overwhelmed by His presence that we laugh and cry and raise our hands in worship and then fall on our knees because standing is no longer possible.
To acknowledge His sovereignty, His majesty, His power.
Overwhelm me, Lord. Astonish me, engulf me, blow me away, sweep me off my feet.
Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:1-3 NKJV)
Inside the Writer 