How can I deal with stress?

2 Samuel 22:7“In my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.”

Job 30:20“I cry to you, O God, but you don’t answer. I stand before you, but you don’t even look.”

Psalm 42:4-6My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be . . . Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!

Psalm 86:7I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.

1 Peter 5:7Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

There will be stressful times where it feels like God is unjust or silent. Like Job, we can’t see the bigger picture. However, like Job, we can cry out to God, even in our frustration. God cares deeply for us, and he is always listening. He will always answer when the time is right.

Philippians 4:6-8Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

God can give us supernatural peace—and often, he calls us to train our minds for peace as well. Negative thoughts will come, but we have a choice about what to do with those thoughts. Stress often snowballs from fear, anxiety, bitterness, and lies. When negative thoughts occur, choose to reframe those thoughts with truth and thankfulness. Fix your mind on what is good.

Psalm 62:2He [the Lord] alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.

Isaiah 41:10“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

John 14:1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

John 16:33“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

We serve a God who is greater than any stress or fear.

Matthew 11:28Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 2:18Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

Hebrews 4:15-16This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

We serve a God who has experienced the weaknesses, temptations, and suffering we go through. He doesn’t merely watch at a distance to judge our failings. He walks with us every step of the way.

Ecclesiastes 4:12A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Galatians 6:2-3Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

Philippians 2:4Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Another step in dealing with stress is to identify others laboring under pressure and help them. Sharing a load often makes the load lighter.

2 Samuel 22:7“But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.”

Psalm 86:7I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.

Be persistent in prayer. Develop the habit of prayer when things are not stressful so that prayer is automatic when the pressure comes.

Mark 6:31Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Take time to slow down and take a break from pressure-packed situations. Regular times of rest as well as special times of rest will help you endure the stressful times that come.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Take care of your body. Adequate rest, regular exercise, and proper nutrition are essential to dealing effectively with stress. The stewardship duties God has given you include taking care of your physical dimension.

Matthew 11:28-29Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Allow Jesus to carry your burdens and teach you from his humble and gentle spirit. Jesus’ humility and gentleness counteract the pride and irritability that fuel so much of the conflict and stress in life.

Exodus 18:17-18“This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.”

Mark 6:30-31The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Galatians 6:9So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

There is a difference between being “tired of doing what is good” and simply being tired. We should never tire of living a life that honors God, but physically, we have our limits. Moses, Jesus, and the disciples all faced the threat of burnout—and their response was not to power through it. Moses delegated much of his work so he could focus on what was most important. Jesus and the disciples went off to be alone, rest, and get some food. Rest and boundaries are important parts of serving God with endurance.

Isaiah 41:10“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

2 Corinthians 4:9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

We will face situations beyond our control. We may even take some punches from life that leave us gasping for breath. But no matter the stress or trial we are going through, we are not alone, and we know who wins in the end.