Young People's Group

“Hear My Cry O God”

by Pastor Mitch
May 01, 2015

When Our Heart Is Overwhelmed

The month of May is a challenging time for many of us. It is exam time for most students and there is so much that needs to be done. For others, there are deadlines to meet and difficulties to face. When all these things add up, life may seem overwhelming. There were times when King David also felt overwhelmed. The context of Psalm 61 was during the time when David was already king of Israel. There are many things that a king must attend to: Fighting enemies, daily running of the kingdom and personal challenges. It is during such times that he felt greatly overwhelmed. These feelings are reflected in verses such as:

“From the end of the earth” 
Psalm 61:2

“When my heart is overwhelmed” 
Psalm 61:2

“From the end of the earth” is a reference to how David felt as he carried out his reign as king. He sensed that he was very far from God and His presence. Because he was distant from the Lord, his heart and spirit wavered easily. When the challenges of life seemed to pile up, David felt greatly inundated. His heart was not steadfast and strong as it should be when one trusts fully in the Lord. Young people, do you also feel overwhelmed by what you are going through? Let’s seek to deepen our prayer life. Let’s seek to draw nearer to the Lord.

Seeking To Go Deeper In Our Prayer Life

1. Learning To Cry Out To God

“Hear my cry, O God; 
Attend to my prayer. 
From the end of the earth I will cry to You” 
Psalm 61:1-2

King David sought to make greater prayer efforts to God. There are the normal prayers that we can make to God each day. But there are times when we need to learn to cry out to the Lord with greater faith and trust. The Psalmist pleaded with God to hear and attend to his prayers. He did not take for granted that God will hear and answer them. He determined to humbly cry out to God no matter how far he felt that he had been estranged from Him. Young people, let’s also learn to cry out to God with faith and with our soul in our time of need.

2. Seeking The Lord’s Leading For A Greater Perspective

“When my heart is overwhelmed; 
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 
For You have been a shelter for me, 
A strong tower from the enemy.” 
Psalm 61:2-3

David also sought the Lord to lead him to have a greater perspective of life. He sought the Lord to lead him to a “rock” where he would see things differently. He would have a greater perspective of how things are from the Lord’s standpoint. When we are standing on a higher plane of faith than where we used to be, we can see things more clearly. There is faith to recognise the Lord as our shelter all the while. There is faith to appreciate and focus on how He has been our strong tower. Let’s pray for the Lord to lead us and enable us to have a greater perspective of life, rather than just focusing on how stressful things are.

3. Learning To Abide With The Lord

“I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; 
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.” 
Psalm 61:4

As David sought to go deeper in prayer, he determined that he would abide in the Lord’s presence forever. At the beginning of the Psalm, he felt that he was far away from the Lord. But now, as he sensed the Lord’s presence again, he did not want to leave Him. He determined to trust in the shelter of the Lord’s wings. He was fully committed to abide before the Lord forever (Psalm 61:7). Young people, as we cope with the challenges of life and school, let’s seek to seek to abide in Him even more. Let’s always trust the Lord as one who will shelter us in the midst of challenges.

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