When I first met Steve Mays, I thought we might have some things in common. That was an understatement. We instantly bonded and found that we both had experienced some very hard, life-shattering events in our personal life journeys. So when he asked me to write the foreword for his book, Overwhelmed by God and Not Your Troubles, I was honored. And after I read his book, I knew I had to write this foreword.
You see, I too, have been overwhelmed.
Many of my overwhelming circumstances—the kind that rock you off balance and deplete your hope—happened during my childhood, a time when rosy cheeks, laughter and sweet innocence should have ruled the day. But that was not for me. My laughter was consumed by fear and, later, hatred toward my alcoholic father—a man I had longed to receive love and care from, but who instead heaped abuse on me, as well as on my siblings and my mother. And, if that was not enough to overwhelm me, I found my innocence stripped from me by a farmhand who sexually molested me for several years. I felt that the only person who cared about me was my mother. But, after years of physical abuse at the hands of my father, she just couldn’t take it anymore. So one day, I woke up to find that my mother had left. Her plan was to have me go and live with her once she got a job and had settled in. But that never happened.
Oh yes, I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed.
And so does Steve Mays.
As a young man, his innocence was stripped away from him as well—by a trusted teacher at school. Steve’s life spiraled downward after that event, leading him into a vicious cycle of drug abuse and violence.
Yet God can take what seems like insurmountable, overwhelming circumstances and change them into something good—something useful for His kingdom. Only God can heal our broken hearts and give us the love that we all so very much desire. Only God can change our lives!
You see, God reached out to me in the midst of my overwhelming circumstances. In the same way, God reached out to Steve Mays in the midst of his overwhelming circumstances. I am confident, dear reader, that the Lord will reach out to you in the midst of your overwhelming circumstances as well.
God not only reaches out to us when we are overwhelmed, He wants us to be overwhelmed by Him instead of our troubles. That’s what I love about this book. It conveys the truth that we need to turn from those things that are devastating and choose to be overwhelmed by God’s character and His attributes.
Steve has had ongoing health problems for many, many years, enduring more surgeries and hospital stays than anyone I know. But it was right in the midst of his overwhelming circumstance that the Lord spoke to him and asked, “Steve, why are you overwhelmed by this? I want you to be overwhelmed by Me.” Because of that precious message from the Lord, this book was born!
This book will speak truth to your heart: God loves you and His many attributes and promises are yours to cling to, to use and to rest upon!
Are you overwhelmed by financial problems? God wants you to realize that He is your Provider and wants you to be overwhelmed instead by His provision and care.
Are you overwhelmed by the rejection of someone close to you? God wants you to understand that His love for you is constant and never changing, no matter what you are experiencing. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
There are many times in life when we can find ourselves being overwhelmed. Steve Mays does a great job laying out these setbacks and showing us how God’s character traits and attributes are sufficient to conquer each and every one of them. The reality is that when we focus on God and choose to be overwhelmed by Him, our circumstances will diminish in their capacity to rule our emotions and our lives!
My prayer is that you will see that you are not alone on this journey called “life,” and that the issues overwhelming you right now are not insurmountable. God can and will work in your circumstances to bring about His glory. Focus on the Lord. Let Him overwhelm you, and you will find the peace, comfort and confidence to know that He is at work in your life.