Stressed?

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock (Isaiah 26:3-4, NLT)

Here's a fact of life that nobody can deny: life is stressful.  Here's something we all need to come to grips with: stress is not going away.  It's part of life, and nowhere in Scripture does God promise us that life will be easy.  In fact, He tells us just the opposite!  Psalm 34:19 states, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous..."

The word  "affliction", in it's original language, was used to describe an Assyrian form of torture where a person would be tied to a stake, then have huge rocks piled up against them until the weight of the rocks eventually suffocated or crushed them to death.  That's an accurate picture of stress.  We can handle one or two huge rocks.  That deadline at work or that issue between you and your spouse, standing alone, isn't the end of the world.  You can work through it and overcome it.  BUT... when everything else starts piling up: the complaint from your best customer, the email from your boss, the car needs repair, your son now has a drivers license, and it's once again time to go to the dentist... now you feel crushed and suffocated.

How do we handle stress without being overwhelmed? Interestingly, God is often described in Scripture as "the Rock."  Here in Isaiah, He is "the eternal Rock."  Think about it.  Afflictions are rocks, but God is the BIG ROCK.  If we stand on the BIG ROCK we will not be crushed by the little rocks!  It doesn't mean that the little rocks of stress are not there, but that our perspective has changed.

Psalm 34:19 doesn't end with "Many are the afflictions of the righteous."  It goes on to state, "But the LORD delivers him out of them all."  This happens as we learn to focus on the BIG ROCK and trust Him to uphold us through whatever stress we are currently having to endure.

Let Isaiah 26:3-4 be God's promise to you today.  Whatever you are facing, ask yourself, "Is it bigger than God?"  If it isn't, then focus your attention on Him and what he says about your situation.  As you fix your mind on Him, you'll see the BIG ROCK get even bigger and the little rocks will become like mere pebbles.