At Our Wits’ End

A mother of multiple young children recently approached me: “My children are driving me crazy right now!” she confessed. “Do you have any help for me?”

After attempting to offer a couple of practical tips for her situation, I sought to remind her of the One who is our “very present help” and encouraged her to pour out her heart to Him, just as the psalmist, David did in Psalm 30:8: "To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy."

Charles Spurgeon expanded on this verse: “Prayer is the unfailing resource of God’s people. If they are driven to their wits’ end, they may still go to the mercy-seat. Let us never forget to pray, and let us never doubt the success of prayer. Prayer will succeed where all else fails.”

Maybe it’s your little children, or your not-so-little children. Possibly it’s your in-laws or an aged parent. Or perhaps it is your boss or your co-workers. Are you feeling at your “wits end” with any relationship at present? Let’s not view our “wits’ end” as an end per say, but a beginning--the very point at which we cry out to the Lord for mercy. In fact, we should perceive our wits’ end as really a wonderful place to be--it’s the place where we have no other recourse but to cry out to God for help. And consider what will happen as we do: “They…were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” Ps. 107:27, 28