Overwhelmed

It's not a common term. To "whelm" means "to submerge or engulf," thus, "to overcome utterly." As such, "overwhelm" seems like an overstatement. Like "to really, really whelm" or something. But we get it. Like massive waves rolling over a small boat in a storm, we can experience being overwhelmed.

One place we rarely do is in relation to God. Most of the time we're fairly ... underwhelmed. No, no, He's good and all that, but ... not necessarily overly impressive. He's kind of in the background, so to speak. Not like some of the biblical stories we read.

Jacob slept and dreamed of angels on a ladder and God speaking from above, and he woke up terrified (Gen 28:10-19). "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." He was overwhelmed by God.

Isaiah "saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." (Isa 6:1) His response was "Woe is me! For I am lost" (Isa 6:5 ESV), except the word there for "lost" is used to refer to being destroyed, annihilated, silenced forever. Isaiah was overwhelmed by God.

Job demanded that God answer him as to why he was being treated the way he was. God did, but not as Job intended. "Why, God?" "Job, where were you when I made the universe?" (Job 38-41). "Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?" he answered. "I lay my hand on my mouth." (Job 40:4) And, "I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:5-6) Job was overwhelmed by God.

Jesus stood at the edge of the lake and told the fishermen who had caught nothing all night to cast out again. They caught so many fish that their nets were breaking. Simon Peter fell on his knees and cried, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8) Peter was overwhelmed by Jesus.

Jesus went to dinner with Simon the Pharisee and a woman "who was a sinner" washed His feet with her tears and her hair and kissed His feet and anointed them with oil. She was overwhelmed by Christ.

The disciples encountered a bad storm on the sea of Galilee while Jesus slept and they were scared (literally overwhelmed, I think, at least with water). They woke Jesus, He spoke, and the storm ceased instantly ... and "they were filled with great fear." (Mark 4:35-41) They were overwhelmed by Christ.

Consistently in Scripture those who come into close contact with God are overwhelmed by God. Great fear, repentance, prostration -- common responses. Not us. God's our buddy, our pal, our good friend. Is it because we're better than those folks? Or is it because we haven't had a close encounter with God? Or is it because God is just not that overwhelming? None of those are good answers, are they.