Inundation

"The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah." (Psalm75:3, emphasis mine)

One of the chief ways the devil seeks to distract us from God, a victory for him by the way, is to overwhelm us with the seemingly innocuous.

This might sound obvious but think about all the tasks that we take on that we might think we can handle on our own that end up building and building until we can't take anymore and crack. Not that you have like, a nervous breakdown or anything, but it's certainly not pleasant to feel your gears grind for lack of oil.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." (Psalm 55:22)

Burdens in this life are a given. When God has you take on responsibility, be it for yourself, for a family member, or for some other special issue, He really doesn't expect you to handle it all on your own. Even Jesus said "I do nothing of myself" (John 8:28), indicating that it was His Father who was doing the works through Him.

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him (and her) out of them all." (Psalm 34:19) Wonderful! Take a step back and look at that. On one hand, we're inundated with issues and difficulties and perplexities. Why this? Why that? But it also qualifies this with the notion that it's the righteous who face these things. There is consolation in that piece of information. Like you're doing something right, in spite of running around like a headless chicken. Take a step back.

"For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, make haste to help me." (Psalm 40: 12-13) Okay, so maybe it wasn't the best of decisions that led to the burst-dam feeling you're experiencing right now. Maybe layer upon layer of wrong decisions have contributed to the pressurization you feel with your life. Maybe the problems are "more than the hairs of [your] head". Trust me, it's never as bad as you might think it is. God has His ways, His means. He works through the struggles and issues that your facing, be it your fault or no fault of your own as to why they're there. Keep your head down, and know that "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Luke 12:7)

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." (Luke 21:34) The Greek word translated "surfeiting" literally means headache. Like a hangover. It's the other side of the coin. Even the good things of life can seek to distract us from the beauty of God. The merely good, in favor of that which is best. Keep your options open. Don't let yourself be inundated by the sweet things in life, either, so that your focus is shifted from the God who is essential. Good things, bad things, innumerable things come and go. God abides. Take it easy.

"I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me." (Psalm 57:2, emphasis mine)

"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers..." (1 Peter 3:12)

What It's, Like (Comparison Stopping part 2)

The Emphatic (Chapter and Verse part 3)