Life is filled with stress. In fact, there are no aspects of life that are not affected by the reality of stress. Stress is simply the rate of wear and tear on one's body. Stress has been linked with high blood pressure, heart attacks, depression, immune systems deficiency, asthma, gastric disorders, etc...Stress tears up the body.
Now many Christians think that once they have accepted Christ, then their stress will disappear. But this is the opposite of what the Bible tells us. Sin brought great stress upon mankind. From pulling weeds to giving birth, humans are surrounded by stressful events in their life. Stress will be a part of every human being's life until Christ returns to set us free from this bondage. In Scripture we see that even while Jesus walked on this earth, He faced the stresses of life. In fact, I would argue that Jesus faced the most stressful events of any man during His short ministry, and yet He passed with flying colors, how? In Matthew 14:13 and Mark 6:31 we see that when faced with overwhelming pressure, tragic news, and unfavorable conditions, Jesus went to a quiet place to rest and pray. Even when the most stressful mission lay in front of Him, the cross, He handled this upcoming event by going to the Mt. of Olives and prayed. This is exactly what Christians are commanded to do under stress, "Don't be anxious (or stressed) about anything...but pray." (Phil. 4:6)
Jesus did not run from stressful events, He faced them head on while right in the perfect will of the Father. If you and I are going to make it victoriously through the stresses of life, we must be hand-in-hand with our Father God. No matter what you are facing as a Christian, hide this promise in your heart - "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is focused on You, because he trusts in You." Is. 26:3.
Next time we will look and see how great of a burden stress can be on the body, mind, and spirit, and even on someone who is serving God with all their heart. We will look at some of the signs and symthoms of stress, and learn through the example of one prophet how God restored him from the point of physical, spiritual, and emotional bankruptcy. Until then, keep walking with Christ.
