A biblical exploration of stress

What do you do when you don't know where else to turn?

Stress. Does anyone ACTUALLY want stress? Of course not. But, stress happens. It's a fact of life and of the world we live in. Family, relationships, friends, jobs, other responsibilities and circumstances...the world we live in can get pretty overwhelming. We're sitting here sometimes even in pain of stress, and we don't know how to handle it. So I have three questions to ask that need a true biblical answer. Why do we get stressed? Who do we rely on? How do we beat it? Having an answer to these would certainly help with living in this crazy world. So let's dive in.

First question: Why do we get stressed? As usual, I provide my own life for example. I've been a Christian for about 13 years now (holy crap...that's crazy). My Christian life has been a pretty big roller coaster of spiritual ups and downs. 6th grade through 11th grade I was never living for the Lord with my passionate heart. A retreat changed me in 12th grade and I got on fire for God. Went through freshman and sophomore years in college on a small decline. Got through fall of junior year just fine. Then, spring semester of junior year happened...possibly the most awful time in my life. I don't even know how I got the way I did. Requirements for my 5 classes stressed me beyond belief. I'd say no to activities, I'd pull all-nighters and crazy long work days, and I just wasn't healthy. My parents were worried that my mindset was suicidal. My girlfriend at the time even said it had been a month since she had seen me smile. I even remember one night where Bill was scared to come in the bedroom because of my demeanor and the music I was listening to (Korn, Disturbed, Linkin Park, etc). So WHY was I so stressed? I ran out of time to do things. My life became work and the commitments around me. I shoved God to the side...I didn't have time for Him. So I shouldered the load and look where it got me, into the darkest pit of my life. And for what? So I could meet a college deadline? And how much of that really matters in the light of eternity? The stress and the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" just isn't worth it. "Oh, I'll have more time to enjoy life once THIS is out of my hair". News flash, boys and girls...there's always going to be something in life trying to steal our time.

So the answer to why we get stressed is simply because we let Satan let us get stressed. But, but...family crap! And job stuff! Stop it. "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8. Could we maybe say that stresses could also be referred to as temptations? You see, there's something interesting about Jesus' life. Through all the memoirs that are the Gospels, they provide pretty good detail about the stresses/temptations of his life. Starting in Matthew 4 when he wandered through the wilderness and fasted for 40 days, and let me stop there for a second. Fasting for 40 days?! Not eating for a month and a half?! The Bible doesn't articulate EXACTLY what he did, but 40 days of that would literally be some kind of hell on earth. Yet Jesus was peaceful. He was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted/tested by Satan. And he responded to Satan and drove him away. Moving forward to Gethsemane, where Luke 22:44 says "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground". Jesus knew he was about to be crucified, and a man not turning to God would completely shatter under this stress. Not the Lord. Jesus was not going to let Satan be a part of this scene. We always refer to Matthew 4 as Jesus' temptation. What we fail to realize is how much Jesus was tempted beyond that. This scene was a temptation. Jesus could have panicked and fled for the hills. But he knelt down, turned his eyes to the heavens, and the man sweat blood in his prayer. Did God reward him? Not necessarily. See, Jesus' circumstances didn't change, but his focus was on the Father. Jesus was stressed, but his soul was at peace.

Next question: Who do we rely on? I would answer it with one word, but that's no fun. So again from my own life. Junior year of college, I relied on myself. Even in team projects, which ended up being a total mess that year, I took a large part of the projects on myself and I ended up a mess. I was so stressed and couldn't handle it that I even threw up from the stress. It was absolutely awful. And again...for what? That semester weighs nothing on eternity. And now I have that memory instead of an enjoyable one. We can rely on others, but we all fail each other from day to day. No one has it all together, no matter how much it looks. I know people that I almost idolized at one point or another. They seemed to be living a great and happy life, they were great role models, people respected them, and everything looked great. Then I learned about things they struggled with. They sometimes even beat out my own stressful experiences. As the famous song says "we all need somebody to lean on". And we SHOULD lean on others; God made us relational beings. But we can never put the entirety of our faith in another person, or we'll end up in the pit I was in.

So the one-word answer to who we rely on is, of course, God. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7. "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." - Isaiah 58:11. "For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:32-34. It's everywhere in the Bible. "Do not fear." "Do not worry." It's been said that there are 365 "fear nots" in the Bible. I've never looked for myself, but I know there are plenty to hold you over. And I know it's dangerous to take verses out of their original context. But put these verses back in their original context, and you'll see exactly what kinds of stresses these people were in. They likely outweigh your stresses. Rely on God first, He's made promises that He will keep.

The last question feels to me that it's been answered: how do we beat it? How did Jesus beat Satan in Matthew 4? How did Jesus beat Satan in Luke 22? He quoted Scripture. He prayed. He was completely in tune with Headquarters, completely immersed in the will of His Father. And that's how we beat this. We read. We pray. We seek God and grow close to Him as He grows close to us. As Jeremy Camp sings, "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you. He's near to the broken and confused. By His stripes, our spirit is renewed. So enter in the joy prepared for you." - Healing Hand of God. And Jesus says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:28-30. "Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber...very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep...the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:1,6,10.

One last thing. Jesus came to give us life more abundantly, and to the full. But we're in this life full of stresses and ridiculousness. Yet God made the promise "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13. So I made the argument that these stresses and temptations come from Satan, and not God ("When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone" - James 1:13). But tell me this. How is a diamond, either natural or synthetic, formed? The answer is that we take pure carbon (found in common graphite a.k.a. pencil lead), subject it to INTENSE heat and pressurization, bring it to a very quick cooling stage, and voila, a diamond. So...feeling the heat of life? Feeling pressured? Look to the heavens for a moment...God might be trying to do something with you. God always has a purpose for every moment of your life. Diamonds are flawless, and that's what God is trying to make us. We just have to seek Him first. And don't take any of this from me, I'm just another flawed and stressed human being. Take it from the perfect Word that God gave to us. He won't fail you, you just have to come to the surface and let Him cool you off.

What do you do when you don't know where else to turn? Let God make you into a diamond. Trust Him.

Why I Love Lightning

Because a Facebook status simply doesn't suffice! :)

What brings you closer to God? I'm sure a lot of things do. Reading the Bible. Praying. Doing good works. Even tragedies. Losing loved ones. Going through trials. The list can go on. But for me, it's lightning storms. Obviously, almost everyone enjoys beautiful, sunshiney weather. Rewarding work can be done outside, games can be played (especially baseball), and many other things. Others enjoy rain, just from the peacefulness that it brings as it flies through leaves on a tree. And you haven't lived until you've heard that rain falling on a tin roof. Still others enjoy snow. Peaceful, undisturbed snow is one of God's greatest beauties here on earth. As for me, I honestly don't care too much for rain or snow. I don't make it a secret that I'm a boy of the summer and I enjoy the sunshine. But at the end of a sunshiney day, I'd trade it away just to sit on a porch and watch God show off through a lightning storm.

Tonight I was at Sarah's place for awhile, and was leaving just as lightning started flashing and rolling thunder could be heard in the distance. Once I realized that storm was in the direction of my apartment, I FLEW home...of course, not before getting stuck behind the slowest of drivers. But anyway. I know some people can get scared of thunderstorms. Some don't like the loud bangs, yeah I get that. I know even others that had traumatic experiences with lightning...one of my childhood friends had lightning hit their chimney. And it's rare, but people die from lightning strikes too. But nonetheless, I haven't been traumatized and loud thunderclaps don't bother me. I LOVE thunderstorms! So I got home and began my thunderstorm tradition. I got my phone out and queued up Revelation Song by Phillips Craig & Dean. I ran into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of red wine...ONLY red wine will do, white wine simply doesn't suffice. I pulled up my chair on my porch, started playing the song on repeat, had a sip here and there, and just sat and watched.

Now I get excited during thunderstorms because, like I said, I like to watch God show off. Tonight was different. God wasn't just showing off. God was SHOWING OFF! Tonight these weren't just low rumblings and occasional white lights across the sky. These were bolts flying from the heavens down to earth. I remember seeing one that was so bright, it burned onto my retina for about 5 minutes. Every time I blinked, I could see the outline of this staggered bolt of glory. Wow. And just when I think the show was coming to a close...BANG! A huge claw-shaped bolt touches down and sends a huge crack through the sky. Those were the two that I remember most, and man were they beautiful.

Why do I love lightning storms so much? Well, I originally asked what brings us closer to God? To me, lightning storms are such a clear and tangible indication that God is here. So often we get the feeling that God is so distant and we can't connect with Him, so whenever I see lightning I rush out to meet Him there. I wrote something similar about this in the past, and I quoted Psalm 29:3, "The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters." Every time I heard that thunderclap, God was saying "Here I am." It leaves me awestruck because of how big God is. A thunderclap isn't something that seems to come from the east or west, THIS direction or THAT direction, but it surrounds you. It's all around you. Whenever I hear that sound, I feel my eyes scan the entire sky because God is EVERYWHERE! Occasionally I would just close my eyes and let my other senses take everything in. These crazy thunderclaps would send chills down my spine and make goosebumps rise up instantly. Even a cold rain came and pelted me for a little while on my porch. The music truly added to it though. I have three favorite songs from Phillips Craig and Dean, "Revelation Song", "Great I Am", and "When the Stars Burn Down". I like them so much because they are beautiful, but they also have an eerie sense to them. I feel like these would be songs played as I'm approaching the throne of God. "Holy holy holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" - Revelation Song. "Hallelujah, holy holy, God Almighty, the Great I Am. Who is worthy? None beside thee. God Almighty, the Great I Am" - Great I Am. "Blessing and honor and glory and power forever to our God" - When the Stars Burn Down. All of this just adds to an extraordinary experience.

Tonight I found myself quoting Jeremiah 32:17, "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." In this crazy life we live, I'm glad God gives us reminders that He's still here with us. God still has time for us as individuals and cares for us to our heart's deepest level, even while He roars just a small portion of His power through all of His creation. This is a truly awesome God we serve.

Like I said, a Facebook status simply doesn't suffice. I'm so thankful for the various things that God uses to bring us closer to His glory. We don't deserve that. We don't deserve to be anywhere near His glory, not in the sinful state that we're in. Even Christians go through life sometimes and forget to care about our relationship with God. It seems like a shame that God has to remind us so often just what a great God He is. But we're not perfect, He knows that. There's only one perfect being, and He's real. And thunderstorms may not bring you closer to God like they do with me, and you may not like thunderstorms at all. That's fine. I don't like spiders, but I have to remember that God created them, so they are good. Just remember that God is in thunderstorms and speaking through them. Don't be afraid to listen and I promise there is a wonderful experience to be had by witnessing just the smallest percentage of God's awesome beauty and power. And whatever brings you closer to God, find it and worship Him through it.

"The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them." - Psalm 18:13-14

"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed! Then sings my soul, my savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!" - How Great Thou Art (my 2nd favorite hymn)