Psalm 61

"2 My heart is over_____."

"Over____" what?

Whelmed.

By itself, "whelmed" is no longer a common word. It means essentially engulfed, upside-down, and drowning. Its more familiar offspring -- "overwhelmed" -- usually adds an emotional component to that upside-down feeling, as in "I feel completely overwhelmed."

Ever been there?

The question is: When? When do you tend to feel emotionally upside-down and defeated?

The next big question: What do you do about it?

As soon as David cries, "2 My heart is overwhelmed," his next words are immediately, "2 Lead me[, therefore,] to the towering rock of safety."

To make sense of this, think about the original meanings of these words. If "whelmed" and "overwhelmed" have their roots in maritime storms -- think wave-pounding, ship-engulfing, fear-of-drowning hurricanes -- then doesn't David's immediate next cry make perfect sense? "2 [If] my heart is [in a hurricane of turmoil and despair, then I need to swim, claw, crawl my way] to the towering rock of safety."

Have you ever seen posters of lighthouses on huge rocks? Thirty-foot waves seem to break upon them from every side. But the lighthouse stands secure on "2 the towering rock of safety." The sturdy lighthouse is a "3 safe refuge, ... 4 [a] shelter [beneath God's] wings." Similarly, w+hen our "2 heart is overwhelmed," we need a "fortress where [our] enemies cannot reach."

What are your enemies? The winds and waves and unpredictability of life? Drowning, despair, depression? Anxiety? Concern about some set of gathering clouds? An overwhelming fear of capsizing? Name your storm, your fear, your concern.

Now ... name your rock.

And be honest.

Do you turn first like David to God and recline beneath "4 the shelter of [his] wings." Or do you turn to your own ability to dig yourself out of the hole? Do you revert old patterns and old defenses? Do you call a friend? I know people who shut-down when times get hard -- overwhelmed. I know others who over-function, trying to juggle more and more balls on their own. I know others who stop and say, "Let us pray."

For chronic over-functioners, stopping to pray seems counter-productive. "We dare not stop. Full-speed ahead," is the over-functioner's motto. But full-speed to where? Full-speed in the wrong direction can be like falling off a boat and swimming frantically. If we aim away from shore, all that our best swimming efforts ultimately do is help us drown sooner.

Stop.

Pray.

Take time to learn where "the rock of safety" is ... and where God is calling you to go.

O Great Rock of Salvation,

I am overwhelmed, drowning,

or at least concerned

in these ways ______________.

But right now I stop.

Right now I pray.

Right now I call to you.

Guide me to your plan, your help,

and your salvation.