Good question, right? Don’t we all deal with this frequently, if not on a daily basis? For people who are involved in life, we are bombarded by all of those things in the first picture: responsibility, problems, commitments and deadlines, feelings of being overwhelmed…So many ways to become stressed.
RELAX: Yes, we all have heard that said to us. Perhaps in a tone of frustration by someone who is not empathetic, or perhaps said in a kind tone from someone who genuinely cares. I thought it especially fitting that the picture I used for this, shows the word clearly, but everything in the background is still not in focus. Doesn’t life seem that way? We are told to “fear not”, and to “relax”, but the problems haven’t gone away, the situation causing the stress may still be there. I heard once that there are around 365 times that the Bible says “Fear not”. That is significant.
Jesus knows that fear, anxiety, stress, etc. are all emotions we do/will have (or can have) frequently. How is living a stress-free, resilient life possible? Jesus told us that in this world we will have tribulations (troubles) John 16:33a. But, He also added, “but I have overcome the world”. How do we live in that second half of the verse, in His overcoming, and with His peace?
When we dwell on the negative, and “camp” on those situations that cause stress, we forget the positive, the solutions that God has promised us…His strength, His peace!
I love that the Bible even gives us an example of that concept. The Psalmist, David, writes in Psalms 28: 1-2, 6-9 (NKJV) “To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock: Do not be silent to
me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. 2 Hear the voice of
my supplications When I cry to You, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary…
Blessed be the Lord, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my
strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart
greatly rejoices, and with my song, I will praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is
the saving refuge of His anointed. Save your people, and bless Your inheritance. Shepherd
them also, and bear them up forever.” David starts out with his cries to the Lord,
then experiences the salvation of the Lord. We too, need to remember the goodness of God. His strength!
Also, in Psalms 61, “Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 2 From the end of the
earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I. 3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your [b]tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah”
Jesus is our Shepherd, our shield and protector, from all that life throws at us. He is our shelter, our place to “relax”, in His strong tower. (Proverbs 18:10)
Remember also, to put on the “armor” God gives us. (See Ephesians 6:10-18),
And, as we have an enemy of our souls (who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our joy and peace), we need to “…submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
As I have spent time in the Word, and also remembering what I have learned from others, I leave you with this acrostic to help you in your journey to “RELAX”:
R – Rest (Matthew 11:28) Jesus promises us His rest.
E – Exercise
L – Laugh (Ps.126:2 “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations
said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’ ”)
A—Ask (for help when needed), Adoration of God
X – ‘xamine your life, what can be eliminated or changed. (Psalms 139:23-24)