When the waves rise and your strength fades, God reaches down
🌿 My Gentle Reflection
It’s not about us, God, but about showing how amazing you are because you care and always tell the truth. PSALM 115:1 (Easier to Read Version)
I remember this one time last winter. I was sitting in my car after a really tough day. I was drained. The sky was all gray, and I just felt super down. I felt like I was sinking in a pool of stress, sadness, and exhaustion. I couldn’t even find the right words to pray. All I could whisper was, I can’t do this.
And then, it was like a light in the dark. I felt this feeling wash over me:
I’m here. I’m strong. There’s a place for you with me. I can save you.
This made me remember something I read by Max Lucado. It was about how God doesn’t just whisper when things get tough. He shouts out how great He is. Not to show off, but to rescue us. Like a lifeguard yelling to someone who’s drowning, God makes sure we know He’s there so we can find Him and He can pull us out of trouble.
We all struggle with feeling guilty, angry, or hopeless. But God reaches out to us. He doesn’t wait for us to get our act together. He doesn’t expect us to be tough. He just saves us.
That day in my car, I didn’t need a list of things to do. I didn’t need to have all the answers. I just needed someone to save me. And that’s what I found in Him.
✨ My Scripture of Hope
“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
PSALM 18:16
🕊️ My Anxious Thoughts to Release
- Thinking I have to save myself.
- Thinking I’m too messed up to be helped.
- Thinking God isn’t listening when things are bad
🌸 God’s Promise to Me
- God is right here.
- He’s super strong.
- He always has a spot for me.
- He can save me.
🙏 My Prayer
God, thank you for reaching out to me.
For finding me when I felt lost.
For pulling me out of the deep when I didn’t have any strength left.
You are strong. You are close. You are the one who saves me.
All the praise to you. Amen
🧠 Gentle Tools for Taming My Thoughts
IInspired by Tame Your Thoughts, especially Section 9: When You Feel Overwhelmed, I used three mindset tools to respond to fear with trust in God’s rescue.
1. 🛡️ Practice Picky Thinking
Overwhelm whispered, “You’re drowning. No one’s coming.”
I paused.
- Is this true? No—God rescues.
- Is this kind? No—it isolates me.
- Is this from God? No—He speaks hope.
I replaced it with: “God is here. He is strong. He can save me.” That shift felt like a lifeline.
2. 👽 Identify UFOs
Journal Entry:
Same moment, same panic
- Untruth: I’m alone in this.
- False Narrative: I have to fix everything.
- Overreaction: If I don’t act now, I’ll sink forever
I named it a UFO and gently released it. I reminded myself: “God reaches down. He rescues.” That shift felt like breath returning.
3. 🌱 Uproot and Replant
Journal Entry:
That panic stirred up an old belief: “I’m too broken to be helped.”
I paused and chose to uproot it.
Is this true? No—God rescues the broken.
Is this kind? Not at all.
Is this from God? No—He speaks mercy.
I replanted truth: “God has room for me. He is strong. He saves.” That shift felt like being held.
💡 Section 9 Insight: When You Feel Overwhelmed
Max Lucado reminds us that overwhelm often comes from trying to carry what only God can hold. In those moments, we’re invited to shift from “I must fix this” to “God is with me in this.”
He writes:
“You don’t have to be strong enough. You only must be held.”
That truth changed how I breathe through overwhelm. I don’t have to perform. I don’t have to push. I can be rescued.
📘 Books That Helped Me Heal
- Calm Moments for Anxious Days – Amazon.ca
Tame Your Thoughts – Amazon.ca
