Overcoming StressSample

Peace is possible. 

We’ve learned that stress causes all sorts of chaos inside our bodies, which actually prevents us from being able to think clearly. And because of that, when we’re stressed, we can often say things like “The walls are closing in,” or “I just can’t right now,” or “It’s all too much.” 

Stress can make you feel like there’s nowhere to turn and nowhere to breathe, which is interesting because the word “stress” comes from a really old Latin word that means “drawn tight.” Pretty accurate, right? 

So, when we’re focused on our stress, it can feel like the world is closing in on us. But here’s the good news: God gives us a better way. 

Psalm 118:5 NIV says this: When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.  

We don’t have to live drawn-tight, stressed-out lives. When we cry out to the Lord, He will bring us into a spacious place because our God is an abundant God. But here’s the key: we have to get out of our own heads. When we rely on ourselves, we are drawn tight. But when we turn to God, He brings us into a spacious place. 

So how do we overcome stress? We’ve got to get out of our heads and into God’s presence. 

When it feels like the walls are closing in, invite God in. When you feel like you just can’t even right now, you’re right—but God is waiting to give you a spacious place. Just cry out to Him. Our stress is an opportunity to allow God to be God. It allows Him to give us the spacious place He has for us. 

In that same Psalm, it talks about how God’s faithful love endures forever and that it is better to take refuge in the Lord than in people. We may have ways to cope with stress, but the only way to overcome stress is by taking it to Jesus.

So, today, remember that peace is possible. Even when it may not feel like it or seem like it, peace is possible in the presence of Jesus. 

Challenge: Pray that God would bring you to a spacious place. Surrender your stress to God, and rely on His presence and His peace. Spend some time praying and listening to Him in silence today.