PSALMS 111:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

TO PONDER:

"Overwhelmed!" That was the one word response given to me by a person recently when I asked them, "How are you doing?" Overwhelmed by the devastation that they are seeing on the television screens with the war in the Ukraine, the floods here in Australia, the ongoing impact of Covid-19. Overwhelmed by the rising costs of fuel and groceries, overwhelmed by life. Is that your experience too? Are you feeling overwhelmed by everything happening around you or to you?

The Psalmist gives us another approach to living in the midst of things which overwhelm. The fear of the Lord, he says, is the beginning of wisdom. The word "fear" which we often translate as holy reverence, can also mean to be "overwhelmed by the grace of God, by the faithfulness of God, by the provision of God. The beginning of wisdom, the beginning of being able to navigate through this life that often overwhelms, is to be overwhelmed by everything that makes God, God! When our eyes are on him, when we listen to his Word, when we follow his ways and live according to the patterns he has established in life, we find wisdom for living in the midst of all those things which overwhelm.

Maybe today, it's time to stop, reflect and reset and be overwhelmed again by everything that makes God, God. Spend some time reflecting on what it is about God that overwhelms you.

PRAYER:

Holy and gracious God, to you belongs eternal praise. Overwhelm my senses, my mind, my heart and my life with all that makes you, you! Amen.

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