{"id":16327,"date":"2026-03-10T12:51:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/devotion-in-overwhelming-times\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:01:23","slug":"devotion-in-overwhelming-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/daily-devotions\/devotions-for-inspiration\/devotion-in-overwhelming-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Devotion in Overwhelming Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

An email came in today from a friend who may have to have her son committed. That was an hour after I ran into a friend whose family is facing eviction.<\/p>\n

It was two days after someone else\u2019s son died, four days after a woman from my mom\u2019s group rushed her husband to the ER in dire condition.<\/p>\n

There are times when my prayer list spins out of control, when people in need multiply like the brooms in Fantasia<\/em>. Seeing so many people in crisis gets overwhelming. My heart gapes. My toes begin to dip into the slough of despond.<\/p>\n

And then I think, Stop. Whatever it is that God wants of me, he\u2019s <\/em>not asking me to despair. <\/em><\/p>\n

I take a deep breath. I consciously set aside my budding sense of hopelessness. Before I utter another word, before I offer to make someone a meal, before I do anything<\/em>, I need to redirect my heart:<\/p>\n

Lord, guide my thoughts: Keep them focused on your will.<\/em>
\nLord, guide my lips: Let my words be the ones you want me to speak.<\/em>
\nLord, guide my hands: Show me how you would have me serve.<\/em><\/p>\n

God puts troubled people in our paths because he\u2019s trusting us to pray and care for them as he would. That\u2019s an honor, not a burden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An email came in today from a friend who may have to have her son committed. That was an hour after I ran into a friend whose family is facing eviction. 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