Psalm 119:143 and Stress Management

The Bible has much wisdom regarding stress and how to manage it. "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands" is from the New Living Translation of Psalm 119:143. The New International Version says "Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight."

This says that as a person becomes stressed that he can find relief by following the principles and commandments of God that are found in the Bible. I would contend that the Bible is the first book written on stress management. As you read and study God's Word you find that there are so many nuggets of truth and such great wisdom. The reader can gain so much if his heart and spirit are open to this great wisdom and God's principles.

More and more I have found that as I ask God to reveal to me His truths, I find them. And as I find them tucked throughout His Word, I then am challenged by figuring out how to implement these truths in my life. That is the challenge we all have... how to make it personal to us and then to do it!

There are many sites on the internet that refer to other Bible verses that might assist us when we are stressed. Here is one site. The principles found in these verses are in fact what God would want us to implement during stressful times.

As I reflect on a few of His principles a few come to mind. First, cry out to God. This is a form of Spiritual Exercise. So many times in the Bible you read where people cried out to Him when there had heavy burdens or we "stressed." Simply taking time to open up our hearts to God during these times is so very critical. For me, I have to make it a point to go deeper into my heart, not just converse with God from my mind. To be really effective for me, it has to be a heart thing. That is where we really live and relate... from our hearts. If we expect God to provide direction and strength and sooth us during difficult times, I believe He wants us to come to Him from deep within... from our hearts.

I have also learned that it takes making a certain amount of time to be alone with God. This must be a precursor to crying out to Him. We have to be able to slow way down and spend time with Him. Too often I let time rush by. One day becomes two and two days become three. I might have thought about my concerns and lifted them up to God in a quick prayer and this is good but it is not as good as spending some dedicated quiet alone time with Him. When I am able to do this and still by inner self...still my heart and go to God in an intentional deliberate way I am rewarded by the peace that comes my way. This more complete and deep peace and calmness does not come when I send off a 'quick' prayer to Him. Those quick prayers don't seem to give my spirit time to mix with His Spirit in the same way that comes from a lingering time with Him.

So, a key to being able to better manage our stress is to read the Bible and know His principles, His commandments and then to implement them into our day to day lives.

Read It. Study It. Do It! And have a wonderful day!