Psalm 23:2-3 (KJV) 2 He maketh
me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake.
“Pop!” came the sound from the
kitchen. I looked at Joanne and asked, “What was that?” Neither of us could
figure it out. But later, when Joanne was cleaning the stove, she came across a
crack in the glass that formed the cooking surface of our stove. “That must
have been what it was,” She told me.
Over and over again… day after day and week after
week… for years we have been using those burners, doing our best not to scratch
or misuse them. The glass is very strong, but it is not unbreakable, either
from direct blunt force or from long-term use. I’ve learned that even if you
keep the surface very clean, over time very small scratches can eventually
weaken the surface and make it prone to cracking. I’m not sure if that’s
exactly what happened in our situation or not. But the crack still came.
Stress has a way of making an impact in our lives
sooner or later. Like the glass top on a stove we may endure scratches – maybe
even many of them – that come and go. When we come under high pressure in
life’s situations or high heat from life’s tribulations we may endure for a
while. But unless we have relief of some kind we will likely “crack” in some
way – losing our temper, having a nervous breakdown, lashing out, or
experiencing severe exhaustions to name just a few. People who go, go, go
without a break cannot last. In our pride we may try to convince ourselves “it”
won’t happen to us, but stress will catch up with us. We need rest, renewal, and
rejuvenation. We need a different pace doing nothing or doing things that help
us to “de-stress”.
How true this is spiritually. Jesus is often
depicted in the Gospels as getting away to pray and to spend time with the
Father. He was busy – doing good and teaching – on a daily basis. In His
humanity He was subject to the limitations of a body. Physically and
spiritually He needed to rest and to reconnect with the Father. If Jesus had
these needs, it would seem that we also would have them, and that our need
would certainly be no less than His. While we can often tolerate the small “scratches”
of life for a while, if we do not get away to be with the Lord they will lead
to major breakage in our fellowship with Him, and possibly even physical and
mental harm.
Jesus invites us into the yoke that He bears for us.
God is a sustaining God in times of stress. He is also the God of peace who
welcomes us into His presence and out of the world’s stresses. Let us fly to
Him in time of need, and especially anytime “the pressure’s on”.
Psalm 55:22 (NASB) Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will
never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Matthew 11:28-30
(NIV) 28 "Come to me, all you who
are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Exodus 20:8-11
(NIV) 8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but
the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD
your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or
daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien
within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it
holy.
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he
cares for you.
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray
to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV) 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry
about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will
wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not
sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you
by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And
why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do
not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If
that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and
tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of
little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall
we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For
the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has
enough trouble of its own.
PRAYER: Father, be the strength of my life, and
protect me from trusting in the adequacy of my own resources. I am weak, and I
need you. It’s as simple as that. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
Jesus
Christ is Lord!
Scott
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