When Stress Knocks
When stress comes, we need to do what the Bible says to do.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. I Peter 5:7 (KJV)
The JB Phillips New Testament says it like this:
You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern. I Peter 5:7 (PHILLIPS)
We were not built to carry the weight of care and anxiety. Instead, we should let the Lord carry us.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (KJV)
When stress comes (and it comes to us all), we need to refuse to carry it and transfer the load over to the Lord. When we get overwhelmed, we think that no one cares or nobody knows what we’re going through. I was stressed myself recently and that same day a letter arrived in the mail, and the subject of the letter was resting in God rather than stressing out. And that’s exactly what we need to do. We need to start resting in who God is and what He says in His Word.
I like the stress-relieving message of this verse:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (KJV)
And here is one of my favorite go-to scriptures about worry.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)
Verse 6 tells us not to be full of care about anything. Worry does no good. Instead of stressing out, let God work it out (because He really will if we let Him).
Verse 7 speaks of the result of casting our care on God. God’s very own peace will guard, or keep watch, over our hearts and minds. Think about our heavenly Father sitting on the throne. Is He stressed about anything? Is He worried? Of course not! He has perfect peace- and so should we. After all, He gave it to us.
So when stress knocks, we must keep the door closed to worry, knowing that we have prayed and released the burden to the Lord. While we peacefully wait, God is bringing the answer and taking care of things for us.
