The Power of Honor - Day 2
“As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in Your commands.”
Psalm 119:143 (NLT)
One of the greatest challenges to joy is stress. How much stress are you under right now? You may be stressed about the economy, your job, your marriage, or finding a life partner if you’re single. You can be stressed about your health or your kids. Any number of circumstances can create stress. Left alone, we begin to feel the pressure of that stress weighing heavy on our minds. If you feel like that, you’re not alone. The Psalmist admitted feeling like that too! But he discovered the way to turn his stress into joyful rest! How? In Psalm 119:143 (NLT), he wrote, “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in Your commands.” I love how practical the Bible is and how we can apply its truths in our everyday lives. Let’s take this passage for a moment and the counsel of God’s Word to find relief from the pressures and stress we’re under today. Here are three practical ways to turn your stress into joyful rest.
First, Line Up Your Priorities. We talked about that last week when we discovered the benefits of putting God first so we could experience His blessings in our lives. If you want God to bless your time, give Him the first part of your day. If you want Him to bless your finances, put Him first in your finances. If you want Him to bless your marriage, put Him first in your marriage. You may be thinking, “That only adds more stress on me as I don’t have time to spend with God. My schedule is already overcrowded.” I get it. But check this challenge out from Proverbs 10:27 (TLB), “Reverence for God adds hours to each day.” When you put God first in your day, He engineers the circumstances for you to get everything done that really matters. So, how are your priorities? Does God have first place? God, your family, and you. Remember the acronym of JOY – “Jesus, Others, Yourself.” Try it. If you’re reading this now, you probably have already discovered the miracle God can perform with our time when we put Him first. He can turn the stress of deadlines into joyful rest because He will be doing the work through us. Quit trying to do everything on your own. Learn to share your work with God and allow Him to clothe His activity through your humanity. The secret of joy is Christ IN you! That’s the hope of glory!
Second, Lighten Up Your Attitude. When pressures and stress bear down on you, you feel the weight of it. It’s a downer! It’s too heavy to bear. In Matthew 11:28 (CEV) Jesus said, “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to Me and I will give you rest.” Do it. Give Him the burden you’re carrying right now. It will lighten up your attitude as you discover He is more than able to carry it. In verses 29 and 30 (MSG) He adds, “Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." Sounds inviting, doesn’t it? It is! It’s His invitation to you personally. When we come to Jesus, we are resigning from being “General Manager of the Universe” and letting God be God. None of us can control our lives, or anyone else’s for that matter, but we can put our lives under His care and control. Have you done that yet? I promise it will lighten up your attitude when you do. You’ll learn the unforced rhythms of grace and how to live freely and lightly.
Third, Look Up to God. The only real way I can line up my priorities when they are out of whack and creating stress for me or lighten up my attitude is when I stop everything and look up to God in prayer. This keeps me in constant communication with Him as I face stress and pressure all day long. What I’m saying is, learn to practice the presence of God. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is available 24/7! He will never put you on hold or leave an answering machine when you call to Him in prayer. In Jeremiah 33:3 (MSG), God says, “Call to Me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”
Stress and pressures in life will leave you looking down and out. Look up to God and He will turn your stress into restful joy!