PASSING THE STRESS TEST

TEXT:  "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." - Psalm 61:2

Recently, I experienced a stress test for the first time.  A cardiologist watched as I walked a treadmill for a few minutes.  A machine was monitoring my heart's functionality as I kept walking.  I am grateful that I received good results from the stress test.

Life itself has stress tests that I face.  The treadmill of life is often difficult to handle.  The slope inclines greatly.  The speed that I am expected to maintain seem unbearable.  It seems like everyday I experience a new stress test. 

When expectations and demands exceed my capacity to deliver, I get stressed out.  When my "things to do list" grows but my time schedule shrinks, I get stressed beyond words.  When the needs are great but the resources are few, my stress level seems to soar.

If you struggle with the issue of stress like I do, you need to face the facts:  stress is part of life.  No one is immune to stressful situations.  However, some seem to handle stress better than others.  Think about Jesus for a moment.  As He walked along, He faced crisis after crisis.  People were pressing upon Him, requesting healing or seeking help.  He had full days, days of interruptions and pressure.  Yet He also got away and spent time alone with the Father in prayer.  He shared private times with His inner circle (the disciples).   Jesus knew how to handle stress.

I believe that King David felt stress in his life.  He had the stressful responsibility of serving as king.  He had the stress of leadership as he led his army to war.  He had the stress of relationships as he dealt with numerous challenges among his family and friends.  As he wrote Psalm 61, David addressed the issue of stress.  As I look at this psalm, here are a few things that I want to implement for myself.  Perhaps they will help you, too.

1.         TAKE YOUR STRESS TO GOD IN PRAYER

First of all, the psalmist took his stress to the Lord.  Psalm 61:2 states, "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee."  Stress can make you feel like you've reached the end of the world.  In these moments, open your heart to God and honestly share your stress with Him.  The worst thing we can do is to suppress the stress we feel.  Keeping stress bottled up inside creates pressure that will eventually lead to a blow-up.  Stress must be relieved as quickly as possible.  I know of nothing that will relieve stress like prayer.  When we pray, stress slowly ebbs away. 

Let me recommend quiet seclusion at times.  Obviously, we can't do this all the time, but it would be wise to set aside a few moments to meet alone with God.  Jesus took time away from the stress of ministry to commune with the Father.  Let's learn from His example.  You may not be able to get away on a stressful workday, but you can still take a momentary break to catch your breath and pray to the Father.  The weekend is a great time for longer periods of time of communion.  No one can relieve stress like the Father.  Go to Him in prayer and honestly share your burdens with Him.  Invite Him into your situation.  Ask for His help, guidance and mercy.

2.         BE HONEST ABOUT YOUR STRESS

David wrote, "When my heart is overwhelmed..."  Stress has a way of making you feel overwhelmed.  Notice David did not write, "If my heart is overwhelmed," but "WHEN my heart is overwhelmed."  It would be nice if life was stress-free, but we are not granted that blessing in this life. 

First, we need to realize when we are experiencing stress.  Sometimes stressful situations come so quickly that we feel overwhelmed before we realize it.  We need to recognize the stress that comes your way.  Maybe your job is stressful.  Perhaps your home-life is stressful.  It could be that certain relationships are stressful.  We are tempted to flee from stress.  However, David did not run from stress.  He was honest about his stress, but did not flee from the stress.

Secondly, we need to share our stress.  As I've already written, we need to take our stress to God.  Also, we need to share our stress with others.  Your family members need to support you when you face stress.  Your church family can intercede for you when you deal with stress. 

Be honest about your stress.

3.            TRUST GOD DURING THE STRESS

David wrote, "When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."  A "rock that is higher than I," refers to a hiding place, a place of security and safety.  More importantly, we know that there is a Rock that is higher than us --- the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

Instead of looking at the stressful situation, we need to look to Jesus.  He is the Prince of Peace.  When we face stress and anxiety, we need to remember Paul's words:  "...the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  Trust Him with your stressful situation.

As Psalm 61 continues, we find David trusting God with his stress:  "For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings." (Verses 3-4).  David trusted in the Lord during his times of stress.

Jesus and His disciples were on a boat one time when a mighty storm came upon them.  Although the disciples were frantically working to keep the boat afloat, Jesus was asleep.  The disciples were stressed out, but Jesus wasn't.  When they awoke Him, Jesus spoke to the wind and the sea, saying, "Peace, be still."  Suddenly, the stressful situation ended.  Jesus then rebuked His disciples because of their lack of faith.  We need to exercise faith ourselves.  As we face rough waves and mighty storms, we need to keep in mind that Jesus is in the boat with us.  The situation may seem stressful and overwhelming, but we can trust Jesus to get us safely through.

God never gets stressed out.  Nothing causes Him to fret or worry.  God never suffers from stress because He is in control and sovereignly rules.  Nothing overwhelms Him.

We can trust Him with our stressful situations.  He is able to give us peace, guidance, wisdom and grace for every situation we face.  

Like David, each one of us needs to pray, "When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I."