It can seem impossible to live without stress with the everyday demands of life. Life seems to always give us a reason to stress, but the truth is we can live without stress and that comes from a place of resting upon Jesus.
I never knew that stress could cause body aches until I experienced it myself. At first, I thought I was getting hit with sickness or an attack from the enemy. But I remember in the moment of prayer, I heard God say, “release all tension to me.” I realized that I had been pondering many things that had to be done for the week and carrying the burden of the results that had to be made.
So much was on my mind, from finances that had to be built, strategies that had to be created, and other things that had to be done. I was carrying the burden of the things that had to be done in my own strength. I was led to Isaiah 26:3 which says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” The word steadfast means to rest upon. As I read this verse, I was reminded that I needed to rest upon Jesus.
Perfect peace comes when we trust our works and plans in the hands of Jesus. The only way to truly come to a place of rest is when we trust Jesus. We must trust that His intentions for us are good. We must trust in His ability to do for us what needs to be done. It’s easy to say that we trust Jesus, but do we really believe that He is for our good and will lead us to success?
Although I professed that I trusted in Jesus, my stressing told me otherwise. I had to remind myself that I have an almighty God on my side. I am co-laboring with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the maker of heaven and earth. What do I have to fear? Psalm 121:2 reminds us, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.“
God gave me an analogy that just as we find relief when we have partnered with the smartest kid in class for a project, we can also rest knowing that we have an almighty God on our side.
It wasn’t bad that I was thinking of the things that had to be done. It was when I started putting the burden of the results on my own shoulders that caused me to stress. I had to remember that Jesus is responsible for the results.
We have our part to do, but we must trust the results in God’s hands. As we focus on being faithful with what God has given us, He will take care of the rest. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
We can give God our worries and fears because He cares for us. Why do we need to spend another minute worrying about our lives if God cares for us?
Stress is caused by the worry of failure. We don’t need to worry about failure when we leave our situations in God’s hand. God cares for us and always has the best in store for us. Our lives won’t always look the way we want it to, but we can always trust that the end result will always be for our good.
God is looking for those who are willing to walk faithfully with Him. Psalm 101:6 says, “My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.” If we are walking rightly with God, we don’t have to stress about our lives. Psalm 91:1 says, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Those who dwell and walk with God will rest in His safety and care.
God desires for us to walk with peace, joy, rest, and love. Stress only pulls us away from who God is. Philippians 4:7 reminds us that God is a God of peace. If we don’t have peace in our hearts, then it is clear that we have given in to stress. Don’t give in to stress, but give in to Jesus.
Have you allowed stress to rest in your heart? Will you give your burdens to Jesus and move forward in peace and rest?
Jesus is inviting you to come to Him. He promises to give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Spend time in His word and presence and invite Him to speak into your situation. You will find His words of assurance to guard your heart. God sees and knows all that you need. Trust in His ability to help you. So remember, rest upon Jesus.
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