Faith in the News Christian News
Here are five Bible verses that I hope are inspiring and relieve some stress today.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Jesus’ statement here reminds me of the psalmist writing, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved”(Psalm 55:22). That pictures a transfer of a heavy load from one person to another, from the one who cannot bear it to the One Who can bear it all and give you rest. The yoke was a device where the load was shared between animals, and Jesus knows we need to find rest in Him by casting every burden upon Him. That ought to give you less stress.
Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Stress and anxiety are closely related. If we’re not anxious about anything, we’re not likely to be stressed, but with anxiety comes its cousin stress! Instead of being stressed out over our needs, we ought to bring “everything in prayer and supplication” to God but with “thanksgiving” because being thankful is pleasing to God. It also shows we’re contented with what we have. Paul tells us, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6).
Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
This verse doesn’t promise to take all of our problems away. It does tell us that even the problems will work out for our ultimate best because we love God and He has called us “according to his purpose.” We might not see that purpose at the time. But, good or bad, God promises that it will all “work together for good.” Not that all of it is good, but even evil works out for God’s purposes (Gen. 50:20).
Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
If you’re like me, you’re already thinking about tomorrow. What about this and what about that and what if this happens and what if that doesn’t happen–huff, huff. The late Adrian Rogers once said that about 90% of things we worry about never happen; the other 10% are things we have no control over. The point is we have our hands full with today without borrowing trouble from tomorrow. God will give us just enough grace for today. Even Israel understood that you can’t gather manna tomorrow.
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
When Joshua took over as spiritual leader of Israel, he told him five things that he must do. Joshua must be strong–he isn’t speaking about human strength but a strength that comes from God. Joshua must be courageous, the very opposite of discouragement. Joshua must not be frightened because fear is contagious. Joshua must not be dismayed because God is sovereign over everything that happens. And finally, Joshua must know from his experiences with Moses that “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Conclusion
Sometimes I struggle. I stress over things. How about you? I do so because I’m carrying around a load that I was never meant to carry. I also need to learn to accept the help of others when it’s offered because God may use others to help me with the “heavy laden” burdens in my life. We should humbly accept help when it’s offered. We must also carry one another’s burdens, just as Paul wrote, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Remember, you took His yoke, and therein you found rest for your soul.
May God richly bless you,
Pastor Jack Wellman
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