Overwhelmed (Friday Devotional)

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them. You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.”

- Psalm 32:5-7

My buddy Joe and I had no reason to think anything was amiss. His car had been running perfectly fine up to that point—maybe it wasn’t the smoothest ride, but it was an old car after all. So when the traffic light turned green and we remained stationary, I assumed he just wasn’t paying attention.

“Green light,” I said, nudging him.

He looked back at me with a mixture of irritation and panic in his eyes. “I know! It’s not working!”

As Joe frantically pushed the gas pedal, the road around us once again became a hub of activity, while we sat conspicuously still. Vehicles sped by on both sides, cars honked behind us, and I even heard a driver shout out his window at us…and his message was not exactly encouraging. Everything around us was happening so fast, too fast, and we were helpless to slow any of it down in time to think. Even as I got out of the car to slowly push it into a lot a few blocks ahead, all I wanted was to be somewhere else.

Sin has a way of provoking a similar feeling. As guilt bubbles up within you, as new temptations beckon, and especially as your sins’ consequences begin to take hold of you, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Suddenly everything is happening too quickly for you to handle, like you’ve been stopped in your tracks even while the rest of the world continues moving full speed. And as a sense of helplessness washes over you, all you want is somewhere to hide.

Scripture says that if you will acknowledge your sinfulness instead of trying to cover it up, if you will confess your transgressions to the Lord and repent, then He will forgive you and offer you a peace that you can’t acquire on your own. Instead of being overwhelmed by what you’ve done, you will be preserved and protected by what He has done—namely, given His only Son for you. God loves you so much that He offers a fresh start, one in which the old onslaught of guilt, fear, and anger cannot reach you.

Sin has a way of making you feel powerless in its wake, as though there is nowhere to hide. But in the face of your helplessness stands the cross of Christ, the ultimate place of refuge. So may you find yourself overwhelmed—not by the weight of sin, but by the glorious grace of God.