Beyond the Weekend

August 29 | Unrelenting Stress

August 29, 2016

Psalm 57.4-6

We all have stress! There’s almost always something that maxes us out and raises our blood pressure. It could be health, job, political climate, or family. One of the Bible’s many examples of godly people who dealt with long stretches of stress was David, the second king of Israel.

Saul, Israel’s first king, lost favor with God through his disobedience. This caused God to anoint and bless David as the next king while Saul is still alive. This blessing causes David to be so successful militarily that the people sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18.7). Saul becomes insanely jealous and pursues David unto death for the next 4 years (you can read the entire story in 1 Samuel 18-22).

Experiencing unrelenting stress as he hides from Saul, David writes Psalms 57 and 142. He journals his fear while praising and trusting God and models God’s grace when circumstances are stacked against him.

When stress comes we tend to exclude God and can easily fall into self-pity, substance abuse, and even denial. Leaving God out of the picture usually makes matters worse. As this week begins, identify areas of your life generating the most stress. With open hands, release your stress into God’s control. Because stress can be relentless, this may be a prayer you’ll continually repeat as you walk through this situation.

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