Stress, worry, fear. All of these emotions can be debilitating.
Are you the husband and father who feels the pressure of financially providing for your family, and fearful of the way the economy is heading? What if you lose your job?
Are you are already unemployed and fearful of what today will bring?
Are you a single mother, who is wondering how to break herself into the many roles she needs to play for her family, and still provide for them? Or the parent who sees your child is struggling with worry and fear about friends, school, or being accepted?
Maybe if we just escape…
For some of us, summer is the time when we try to escape from our everyday routine and take a few days off for vacation. We all need a break from the busyness of life – the stress that makes us lose sleep or the fears which hold us captive. The thing is when we walk back in the front door, after a week “off”, all those worries come flooding back into our heads and hearts. Escaping may seem like a quick fix, but we Christians are called to live life differently. We need to be reminded that we can call on the Lord during times of stress, worry, and fear.
God’s word will comfort us, shield us, and restore real peace. God is there, and He wants us to empty our hearts unto Him.
1. Jesus offers us rest.
Mark 6:31 “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Hebrews 4:9-11 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”Hebrews 4:9-11 “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”
2. Jesus offers us peace.
Isaiah 57:1-2 “The righteous man perishes,and no one lays it to heart;devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.”
3. Jesus restores ours souls.
Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy[e] shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
4. Jesus is with us.
Exodus 33:14 “And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’”
5. Jesus shoulders our burdens.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
6. Jesus removes our fear.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
About the Author: Lisa Strnad is a weekly contributing writer to What’s in the Bible? and Jelly Telly. She works freelance in Christian Media, specializing in writing, promotions and marketing. Lisa lives with her husband and their two sons in Nashville, TN. Follow her personal blog: www.talkinglikeagirl.blogspot.com
