You Can’t Handle This – GaryCombs.org

You Can't Handle This

Has life become almost impossible to handle? Pandemics, cancellations, quarantines, layoffs, shortages, social distancing… No one had these in their 2020 plans. Many feel that they can’t handle one more thing! Where do we turn at times like this?

Overwhelmed by Anxiety

May 10, 2020 | Philippians 4:4-7 | anxiety

Over the past few weeks, we have talked about how troubled times can cause us to be overwhelmed by fear, by
depression, and by doubt. Today, we want to consider how trouble can cause us to feel overwhelmed by anxiety. Certainly, the “uncertainty” of this time has caused much anxiety in our world today. Yet, even before COVID 19, anxiety was a pervasive condition for Americans.

Are you overwhelmed by anxiety today? Do you have a constant sense of unease? A kind of nervousness? Have the uncertainties of what’s coming next overwhelmed you with worry? The truth is, there will be trouble in this world. But do we have to be overwhelmed by anxiety as we face it? In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he taught them to turn to the Lord when overwhelmed by anxiety. We can learn to turn to the Lord when we are overwhelmed by anxiety.

Overwhelmed by Depression

April 26, 2020 | Psalm 42:11 | depression

How many of you are struggling with depression today? How many of you have had more trouble with depression because of the pandemic? Depression causes symptoms that affect how we feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, and working. The Bible is filled with those who struggled at times with the symptoms of depression, such as: Job, Moses, Naomi, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Mary, Peter, and Paul.

Yet, no matter its cause or its degree, those who suffer from depression, need mercy not judgment. And perhaps more than anything, they need hope! In Psalms 42, the psalmist described how he put his hope in God when his soul was overwhelmed by depression. We can put our hope in God when we are overwhelmed by depression.