My spirit is overwhelmed

For the enemy has pursued and persecuted my soul, he has crushed my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in dark places as those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed and faints within me [wrapped in gloom]; my heart within my bosom grows numb.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder on the work of Your hands. I spread forth my hands to You; my soul thirsts after You like a thirsty land [for water]. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Answer me speedily, O Lord, for my spirit fails; hide not Your face from me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit (the grave). Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.

Psalm 143:3-8 AMP

There are some days that you think, what is going on here? Yesterday was one of the those days for our family. In the morning my husband and I had a difficult conversation about our business and where it is heading. As part of the conversation we read a devotion about God only giving you what you can handle.

For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads) has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. 

But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure,  but with the temptation he will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

1 Corinthians 10:13 AMP

I half jokingly said to Ken, 'God must think we can handle a lot,' as we were pressing into God, trusting Him with the outcome of our daughters' scan this week, and now we were feeling the squeeze with our business. I am not saying we believe that God caused these things to happen, but rather He is using them to grow us and teach us that He can be trusted. We thought those two rather major life circumstances were enough.

However, thirty minutes later we found ourselves at hospital with what has turned out to be a dislocated and fractured kneecap for Ken (after a fall at home). After eight hours at hospital yesterday, covered in prayer by friends, and with the help of friends looking after the children, we are now home and again finding ourselves trusting God for a long-term good outcome.

The Psalm above pretty much sums up the journey of my soul yesterday - immediately after Ken's fall, the feeling of being crushed to the ground in desperation - how much more can we take? Sitting in the Emergency Department, memories flooding back of 4.5 years go, feeling completely overwhelmed by what we could be facing here. Feeling numb and both of us literally crying out to God, how much more?

'I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I ponder the work of Your hands.'

Psalm 143:5 AMP

Then, as the hours went by, we started to remember and talk about all God has done for us, how faithful He has been, and what He has bought us through. 

'Answer me speedily, O Lord, for my spirit fails.'

Psalm 143:7a

And then our mood begins to change, we even manage to joke that with all the waiting around for scans and doctors, we are actually having lots of uninterrupted quality time together. Quality time is one of Ken's love languages. I pull out the notepad and pen and we continue with our business meeting, brainstorming and formulating a plan for the future. 

Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You do I lean and in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.

Psalm 142:8 AMP

God had caused us to hear His loving-kindness, in a way we hadn't expected - much needed quality time together. God had reminded us once again that He is in the midst. We had lifted up our inner selves to Him in desperation, and He was showing us how to walk through it. This new journey will be on-going for a while and it will be interesting(?) to see what God will teach us both individually and as a married couple as we walk with Him on it.

Question for today, when you feel as though you have reached your limit, what do you do? Who or what do you call?

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

1 Corinthians 10: 13 The Message