Where to Run When Life Feels Overwhelming

Hey, carpool crew. Maybe you're heading to school, feeling nervous about a quiz, or maybe you're just hoping today goes better than yesterday. I'm Pastor Justin. I'm so glad you're here. This month we've been walking through Proverbs for your school life and today's verse, it's a straight up promise from God. When life gets crazy, you've got somewhere safe to run to. Our verse today is from Proverbs chapter 18, verse 10. Here's what it says. The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run to it and are protected. See, back in Bible times, cities were protected by tall stone towers. When an enemy came or trouble started, people didn't stand out in the open. They ran to the tower because that's where they were safe. Solomon is saying God is like a tower. When you're overwhelmed, scared, stressed, unsure, feeling lonely, you don't have to stand there on your own. You can run to him. And when he says the name of the Lord, he means everything about who God is, his power, his love, his promises, everything. Think about what you do when you feel unsafe. You run to someone you trust. When you are little, you run to mom or dad. If you fall during a practice and you feel hurt, you probably run to a coach or a trainer. When school feels like it's too much, you probably talk to a teacher that you trust. See, this verse says you can run to God, not just in church, right now, in your mind, in your heart, your prayers. He's there, he's listening, and he protects. See, if Jesus saw you walking into school feeling upset or alone, he might say, I'm with you. You can run to me anytime. I'm listening. I am here for you and I've got you. See, Jesus is the safest place you'll ever run to because he's already took on everything that could ever hurt you. See, imagine you're in a game and everything's falling apart, your team's losing. You feel the pressure. You don't know what to do next. So you call a timeout, you run to your coach, you regroup. That's what running to God looks like a little bit. You don't have to keep pushing through alone. You can call a timeout and go to the one who actually knows how to help you. You can pause and say a quick little prayer. So what are some ways you can apply this today? First, start your day with a simple prayer. God, I'm running to you today if I need anything. Second, when you feel stressed or upset, don't bottle it up. Talk to your parents about it. Talk to a teacher, but definitely talk to God. And lastly, trust that his name, who he is, who God is, is stronger than whatever you're facing, and that you're not facing it alone. Remember, no matter where you are or how you're listening, God loves you. And parents, if you love today's episode, share about it on Instagram. Tag us at carpooling with Jesus. We would love to see you guys enjoying the podcast. Before you go, answer this question together, what's something in your life right now that you need to run to God with instead of trying to handle it on your own? I'll see you tomorrow on Carpooling with Jesus.