Psalm 61:1-2 says, "Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I." As we can see from David's words, he is overwhelmed with sorrow and feels faint.
The New International Version translates this word to be "faint;" however, other translations interpret this word to mean "overwhelmed."
Nevertheless, the same definition rings true. David is feeling overwhelmed, faint, and weak. Why is David feeling like this, and what causes him to open these words in Psalm 61:2?
When My Heart Is Overwhelmed
In order to know why David says, "When My heart is overwhelmed," we have to look at the surrounding context. Right before David says these words, David is calling out to God, and he tells God that his heart is growing faint (Psalm 61:1).
From this, we can see that David is in deep anguish and needs help from God. Looking at the verses after Psalm 61:2, we can see David is calling out for God more and calling Him his shelter and fortress.
Psalm 61:3-4 records David as saying, "For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings."
As David says here, God is his refuge and the strong tower, he can run to when others heap abuse on him. David knows he can run to God and hide from the attacks of others.
Therefore, when David says, "When My heart is overwhelmed," he knows he can run to God and hide in the mighty power of His protection. In other words, the why behind David's saying is that he is declaring he can go to be with the Lord and rest in Him when his heart is overwhelmed.
David was a man who walked closely with God and was his friend. While David messed up many times and sinned against God, he always returned to Him. He repented of his sins and made things right with God.
David wasn't perfect, as none of us are, yet he was willing to admit when he was wrong and turn to God. In the same way, when he was overwhelmed with deep sorrow and pain, he knew he could go to God. David rested in the peace and knowledge that God would always be there for him.
No matter what David did, he knew he could always rely on God. Never did God leave David's side, whether in the good times or the bad times. In the same way, God is there for us also. Just as He was there for David, He is there for us.
God doesn't play favorites, nor does He show favoritism. He loves all of us equally, and He desires for all of us to run into His loving embrace.
It can be hard for many of us to believe this because of the trauma we grew up with; however, God truly wants you to run to Him whenever you are feeling sad, depressed, or overwhelmed.
When Your Heart Is Overwhelmed
When your heart is feeling overwhelmed, what do you normally do? Do you normally try to self-medicate by distracting yourself with hours of television or engaging in an unhealthy obsession?
I normally turn inward and isolate myself from others when I am overwhelmed, and it causes me to fall deeper into my depression.
Maybe you can also relate, or maybe you do something else when your heart is overwhelmed and tired. Rather than turning to whatever you normally turn to, turn to God and run to His fortress. Just as David turned to God with his overwhelmed heart, so can we.
Sometimes we tend to think things written in the Old Testament don't apply to us, but this isn't true. Every caring and loving word was written to us. The Bible wasn't meant for just one person but rather for all of mankind.
The Bible is our guidebook for life and helps us navigate the problems of the world, how we can know Him, and how we can serve Him with our whole hearts. Whenever you read the Bible, remember this and know that God is speaking to you directly as you read the Word.
David's heart was overwhelmed because he was severely sorrowful and sad because of the difficulties he was experiencing in life. He penned these words down in order to cry out to God and to also give us something to relate to in the future.
The Psalms tend to be highly relatable, and although we might not be able to relate to every verse, we can relate to the vast majority of them.
As in the case of Psalm 61:2, David is being raw and genuine in his feelings. He is not afraid to be real with his feelings and tell God how much he is overwhelmed.
Whether you are a male or female, know it is okay to express and feel emotions, including sadness. Sadness tends to be one of the more vulnerable emotions, so men often feel they are not allowed to express or feel this emotion.
This kind of thinking is rooted in toxic masculinity, which needs to end. David was a man, and he often talks about crying and feeling deeply sorrowful. In the same way, Jesus wept during His earthly ministry.
Never be ashamed of crying or feeling sorrow because crying is a natural part of feeling, and sorrow is an emotion. Neither is sinful, and neither is only for females.
Why Does This Matter?
If your heart is feeling overwhelmed, follow David's example and turn to the Lord. Run to the shadow of His wings and find safety in His fortress. God loves to keep you close to Him and to fill your heart with His love.
You can run to God by turning to Him in prayer and reading the Bible. Granted, God won't talk to you out of the sky, and you might not even feel anything, but you must remind yourself that God is not a feeling. God is there, hears you, and talks with you even if you don't feel it.
God wants you to come to Him with all of your feelings. Even if we might deem our emotions "immature" or "too strong," God doesn't see them in this way. Instead, God sees His wonderful children, who are coming to Him in their time of need.
When we pray to God, we acknowledge our dependence on Him and how much we need Him. While many of us may think we have everything together, we really don't.
We all need God's help, direction, and love. God will give us all these things if we would turn to Him and seek Him out in Bible reading.
When we do this, we are following David's example of turning to the Lord when our hearts are overwhelmed. Similar to David, there will be times in our lives when we are overcome with feelings of sorrow, depression, and hopelessness.
It can be due to our circumstances, or it can be due to other things. None of us can outrun these times, but we can make the choice to turn to God. He can help us through these overwhelming times and keep us in the protection of His loving grace.
For further reading:
Does God Know When We Are Overwhelmed?
What Does the Bible Say about Anxiety?
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