Glory {Art} 2017 Scripture Challenge #9, Overwhelmed

The Study

Are you overwhelmed? That is probably a stupid question, right? I think in some shape or form, most of us are overwhelmed with daily life at times. We are overwhelmed with things to do, overwhelmed with work, overwhelmed with family, overwhelmed with a stressful situation, etc., etc., etc. Yes, I am sure I could go on and on. Maybe you even feel like David as he describes in 2 Samuel:

2 Samuel 22:5 "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me."

And I love this by Lysa Terkeurst:

But God doesn't want us to be overwhelmed with life. He wants us to be overwhelmed by Him! David then goes on to say this:

2 Samuel 22:7 "In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears."

David knew where to turn. He sings to the Lord when the Lord delivered him from the hand of his enemies. Where do you turn when you are overwhelmed? Other words that mean overwhelmed include defeat, drown, inundate, smother, crush, etc. Those just sound like depressing words. But what about the antonyms of overwhelm like encourage, surrender, yield, etc. When we feel overwhelmed, why not surrender to the Lord? Why not let His word encourage you? Maybe you can encourage someone else that is overwhelmed. 

In a book I am reading for our Sunday School class, the author, Richard J. Foster says this:

"The church Fathers often spoke of Otium Sanctum, 'holy leisure.' It refers to a sense of balance in the life, an ability to be at peace through the activities of the day, an ability to rest and take time to enjoy beauty, an ability to pace ourselves. With our tendency to define people in terms of what they produce, we would do well to cultivate 'holy leisure.'"

When we are overwhelmed, we certainly cannot cultivate 'holy leisure.' We need to take the time to pace ourselves and yield to the Lord in study, in prayer, and in all we do. Watch this video, listen to the words, watch the faces of these precious children, and be overwhelmed by Him.

I doubt you could watch that and think of the things that have been overwhelming you. I hope you felt encouraged after watching that. And I love this part of the lyrics:

"I hear the sound of Your Voice 

All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God 

All that You are is so overwhelming 

I delight myself in You 

Captivated by Your beauty 

I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You 

God, I run into Your arms 

Unashamed because of mercy 

I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You"

All that He is IS overwhelming! Delight in Him. Run to Him. Be encouraged by Him, and when you are overwhelmed turn to Him and have complete trust in Him.

Psalm 61:2 "From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

Psalm 91:1-2 "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'"

Journaling Prompts

• How have you helped someone that was overwhelmed?
• What promise of God do you need today?
• How has God helped you in the past as you have felt overwhelmed?

The Art

For today's art, I chose to journal one of the questions above. The scripture I noted in my journaling was:

Proverbs 3:24 "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

To create the flowers, I used a stencil and watercolors on old book paper. Super, super fast and easy. I then cut the flowers out, glued them to the page, and doodled around the flowers. This took longer to dry than it took to create. :) If you are looking for something fast and easy, this is it!

Thanks for joining me today. Feel free to join us on the Facebook page where some people will be sharing their creations. To see all of the information regarding this challenge and the previous studies, please see this post here. And may you be overwhelmed by Him each and everyday. Blessings,

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