There are moments in life when it feels as though everything is happening at once.

The bills, the family worries, problems at home, uncertainty about the future, the state of the world, our health, relationships and all the little things that somehow become overwhelming when they pile up together.

We try to keep going.  We tell ourselves that tomorrow will be better.  We try to fix things, make plans and regain control.

But sometimes we simply reach the point where we say, “I can’t do this anymore”.

We are at our wits’ end.  And perhaps that is precisely where faith begins to speak clearly.

We Were Never Meant to Carry Everything Alone.

Christianity doesn’t promise us a life without trouble.  Jesus himself said:  “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world”.  John 16:33.

These words are important because Jesus doesn’t pretend that life will always be easy.  He acknowledges the trouble.  But He also reminds us that trouble doesn’t have the final word.  We often think faith means being strong all the time.  We imagine that a good Christian should always be calm, positive, and certain.

But look at the Psalms.  The writers cry out to God.  They complain. They ask, “Where are you?”  They admit fear, anger, loneliness, and exhaustion.  God doesn’t reject them for being honest.  Perhaps sometimes the most faithful prayer is simply:

“God, I don’t know what to do anymore.  Please help me”.

Letting Go of The Illusion of Control.

One of the hardest things for us to accept is that we cannot do everything.  We can’t control other people’s behaviour. We can’t control what tomorrow may bring.  We can’t control world events.  We can’t always prevent difficult things from happening.  And the more desperately we try to control everything, the more exhausted we can become.

Jesus Offers Another Way.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”.  Matthew 11:28.

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Come to me when you’ve sorted everything out”.  He says Come when you are weary.  Come when you’re carrying too much.  Come when you don’t have the answers.  Come when you are at your wits’ end.

Faith Doesn’t Mean Pretending Everything is Fine.

There is danger in the Christian life of thinking that we must put on a smile and say, “Everything is wonderful because I have faith”.  But faith isn’t pretending.  Faith is being able to say:  “Things aren’t fine right now, but I believe God is with me in the middle of them”.

The Christian hope isn’t that we will never experience storms.  It is that we don’t have to face the storm alone.  The disciples discovered this literally when they were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee.  They were terrified, while Jesus was asleep in the boat.

They woke Him and essentially said, “Don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”  How human that question is.  How many times have we silently asked God for the same thing?  “Don’t you care?” and yet Jesus was still in the boat.  That may be one of the most comforting images in the whole Gospel.  The storm was real, but Jesus was there.

Sometimes All We Can Do is To Take The Next Step.

When everything feels out of control, we can become overwhelmed by thinking about the whole future.  What if this happens?  What if that goes wrong?  How am I going to cope with everything?

But Jesus teaches us to live one day at a time:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself”.  Matthew 6:34.  That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan or take responsibility.  It means we don’t have to live through tomorrow’s problems today emotionally.  Sometimes the spiritual answer is remarkably simple.  Get Through Today. Pray today.  Love someone today.  Take the next step today.  And leave tomorrow in God’s hands.

God is Not Frightened by Our Brokenness.

Perhaps one of the greatest comforts of Christianity is that God already knows us completely.  He knows our doubts.  He knows our anger.  He knows the thoughts we don’t say out loud.  He knows when we are frightened.  He knows when we are exhausted.  And yet He still calls us His children.

We don’t have to perform for God.  We don’t have to impress Him.  We can be completely ourselves.  Sometimes prayer doesn’t have to be beautiful.  It might simply be: “Lord, I’m exhausted”.  “Lord, I’m frightened”.  “Lord, I don’t understand”.  That is prayer.

There Can Be Peace in The Middle of Uncertainty.

Christian peace isn’t necessarily the absence of problems.  Sometimes it is something deeper:  knowing that even though we don’t know what happens next, God does.  We may not understand the road.  We may not see where it leads.  But we can take another step.  And another and another.  The Christian journey has never been about having complete control over the destination.  It is trusting the One who walks with us.

So if you’re reading this while feeling overwhelmed, remember this.  You don’t have to solve your entire life today.  You don’t have to carry everyone else’s burdens.  You don’t have to know what tomorrow will bring.  Take a breath, say a prayer.  Do the thing that needs to be done and place what you cannot control in God’s hands.

Because sometimes faith is sitting in the darkness, exhausted and confused, whispering:  “God, I don’t know what to do.  But I’m still here.  And I trust that You are here too”.  And perhaps when we are finally at our wits’ end, we discover something important:

Our strength may end, but God’s presence doesn’t.

God bless you

Nick X.