Whelm: (verb) engulf; heap up abundantly.
I spend too much of my time overwhelmed by the devolving events of the world around me—the world that I’m called to be in, but actually don’t fit in so easily anymore. These are harrowing times, one can’t help but notice. Sure, there is plenty to recommend this world. Blessings abound: people and puppies and ice cream and such. On the other hand, there is too much travail to overlook: pain and suffering and immorality and such. So where is the perspective that keeps my heart where it should be? You ask good questions.
God is in control and has a future plan of eternal joy in store. What’s more, I believe He is showing us that the basis of our being overwhelmed by the world’s sadnesses is actually our deep-down aching to be face to face with Him. That’s when we’ll be at home in our heavenly place where sadnesses will never happen to you or me or anyone else again. In fact, I believe that all our compassions for the world and desires for things to be fixed are His way of teaching us to be whelmed by Him, not overwhelmed by this temporary fallen place.
Titus 2:13 gives us our present posture when it says, “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” But what does one do in the waiting? Well, we delight in these current blessings (people, puppies, etc.); we go about our mission of pointing others to Christ; and we say with joyous regularity: “Come Lord Jesus! Take us to that sorrow-free place where our amazing days with You will never end.”
Harrowing times? Yes. Blessed times? Yes, that too. But mostly, God-is-in-control times. And whenever we put our trust in that delightful fact, He whelms us.
I hope this encourages you to be whelmed by God today.
Kevin Murray
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