Does the bible have an answer to stress?
Listen to Al as you read along
turn audio OFF / ON
Question: I am experiencing a great deal of stress with all of my responsibilities. I am married with 3 children, have a professional career and concerned about how my life is turning out. Does the bible have an answer to stress?
Stress is really anxiety or worry. We don’t feel stress when we are relaxed or don’t really care about the outcome of an event or situation. We stress because we are worried that our efforts may not produce the desired or imagined outcome. The following ideas are an outline of the biblical solution to stress. The essence of God’s solution to stress is found in allowing Him to determine the ultimate outcomes in our lives. He does want us to be goal oriented, try our best and work toward the highest and best. At the same time, He wants us to leave the results in His capable hands and trust Him for what he decides.
1 Peter 5:6 "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you."
Peter was a man accustomed to great responsibilities and stress. As the leader of the infant church, the guidance of the church fell to him. He learned God’s plan for dealing with pressure and share it with us.
-
Humble yourself under God’s authority.
To humble ourselves under God means to accept His rulership of our lives including the outcomes of our efforts. At times he will allow us to have what we want and other times He will tell us no because He has something better than we can imagine.
-
God promotes His children when it is time and they are ready to handle it.
God loves to bless and promote us. He knows when we are ready to handle something bigger than what we have now. One of the great tragedies of life is to be promoted beyond what we are capable of handling. If we promote ourselves over our own heads, we will not be able to fulfill the responsibilities and do an honorable job. When we have developed the capacity for promotion, God will gladly moves us up.
-
Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you.
The cares and worries of life were never intended for us to carry. God actually wants to carry our burdens for us. The way this works is for us to do our best in all of our endeavors but leave the results in His hands, trusting that He will give us what is best for us. When we trust Him for results, it removes the stress of worrying about the end results.
top
|
