The Build-Up

Psalm 142:1-2 – I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. (NIV)

I had been keeping my eye on the snow build-up on the henhouse and cottage roof for a few weeks. If it snows any more or we get a warm spell and then another freeze, I'm going to have to pull out the roof rake, I mused. Still, I decided to put it off for a little longer, as clearing the roof was the least of my favourite jobs. Maybe I would get lucky, and the snow would melt. Later in the week, however, as I listened to the evening news and heard about the number of people whose roofs had collapsed, removing the snow from my outbuildings suddenly seemed like a really great idea, one I didn't put off any longer.

Like snow, life issues can also create a problem with build-up in our lives. Everybody has problems. Kids, adults, seniors — we all experience the stress of being snowed under from time to time. Things happen to stress us out — little things here and there, with a few bigger storms now and again blowing into our lives, much like snowfall in the winter. For the most part, we all manage. Sometimes, however, we don't. Sometimes, we have those seasons where it seems to just keep snowing problems. We become tired, testy, and burdened, and, yes, perhaps even chilled with fear, wondering if the sunny days of our life will ever appear again.

At such times, I have learned to grab my spiritual roof rake. I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy; I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble. Why? Because I have discovered that when I cry out in faith to my God, I am not disappointed. My prayer may not change my circumstances immediately, but the very act of unburdening myself before the Lord changes me. It reminds me, as the apostle Paul stated, that He "is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20 NIV), a promise that for me has the power to melt away the burden of being snowed under by life's problems.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for the promises of Your Word and the power and privilege of prayer. Bless us today with faith to know that You are indeed able amidst any and every situation which may have us feeling snowed under. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

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