In our present age, it is so easy to become depressed and overwhelmed. There are many issues within and without that continually threaten our peace of mind. Some of these pressures could be internal;  like for instance, when we feel a sense of sinfulness which often leads to guilt and a sense of inadequacy.

Another thing that  could threaten our peace of mind is fear and worry.  We worry about our past actions and what effect it may have on our future, we worry about whether our investment today will yield anything worthwhile in the future to justify the investment, we worry about the children and the pressures they might be facing from their peers or what  they might be exposed to in the future.  The list goes on and on and one would be  amazed at what other people worry about and fear.

 Problems, struggles, needs are also things which easily overwhelms the heart. There are people who can’t remember the last time they have slept in a place called home. Others have needs pulling them from one end to the other. They do not know which problem to address first. The needs cannot be arranged in order of priority because they are so many and diverse in nature

One of the most depressing factors of today is the media. It is not often that you read good news on the pages of newspapers these days. What screams at you most days on the front page is always one bad news or the other. When someone is murdered or a child raped you are sure to get that reported in the front page. Other events that would readily make first page include, earthquakes killing hundreds, terrorist attacks, collapsed buildings with people killed,  air crash and many more fatal events.

Good news isn’t always reported on the media with the same measure as bad news.  In most cases,  good news occupies just a little space in a newspaper of a quick mention on the television or radio.

What is the way out? There have been examples of people in the past who faced overwhelming situations and came out triumphantly. They came out stronger than they were before and were better equipped to face similar situations they might face in the future. What did these people do? Let us take a cue from the Psalmist in Psalm  61:1-2

“Hear my cry O Lord, attend unto my prayer. From the ends of the earth, will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I”

If there was one person who went through diverse,  difficult and extremely dangerous situations, it was David. Many times he faced death threats, was in exile for so many years, being pursued like a common criminal.  He suffered hunger and deprivation many times and on occasion had his family taken away when his town was invaded by enemy forces. The saddest part of it all was that sequel to the invasion and the kidnap of their family members,  his people began to blame him for their woes.

From the scripture above, we can deduce how David faced his problems. We can see how he coped in the midst of despair. The first thing he did was to cry unto the Lord. ‘From the ends of the earth’ typifies not being in the regular place of worship. You can cry out to God anywhere you are. You could be at work, on the road, parked at  by the roadside, in an aircraft or walking on the way. God hears wherever you cry out to Him.

Finally David says, ‘when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I’. What does this rock represent? The rock represents Jesus Christ. He is the rock upon which we lean on and we are sure that we can never fall. A rock represents strength; it represents shelter and a place of refuge.

David learnt the secret long before Jesus Christ was made known to the world,  that Christ is the burden remover and yoke destroyer.  Whatever may be weighing you down today, cry unto the God and let Him lead you to the Rock that is higher than David, Abraham or anyone who has ever walked the surface of the earth. He is our peace!
