Finding Joy In The Midst Of Stress

O LORD, you are righteous,

and your regulations are fair.

Your laws are perfect

and completely trustworthy. . . .

Your justice is eternal,

and your instructions are perfectly true.

As pressure and stress bear down on me,

I find joy in your commands.

Your laws are always right;

help me to understand them so I may live.

Psalm 119:137-138, 142-144

Have you ever wondered how God’s ways fit into the pressures and stresses of real life? It is only normal, given our partial understanding of God, that we would encounter such questions. This prayer provides a wonderful model for bringing those issues truthfully before the Lord. The psalmist began his prayer by reminding himself of God’s fairness and trustworthiness. When we make God’s power and holiness a starting point for prayer, our daily struggles come into proper perspective. There is only one place to turn when nothing seems to make sense: God and his ways.

Commit the problems and difficulties you will face today to God. Ask him to help you find joy in his ways.

• Dear Lord, as pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands . . .