How to Live a Stress-Free Life
JCC 18.10.09 pm
Psalm 4
In this psalm David begins with God and ends with God v1 and v6-8
He is seen talking to God, men and to himself
Stress is one of the world’s biggest problems
Everyone has stress at some point in life
We live in a very stressful or stress-filled society. And it affects all of us
Let’s take a stress test, not for your heart muscle but for your heart of hearts.
Answer these questions (separate sheet): Never, Sometimes, Often, Always
1. I feel overwhelmed and confused.
2. I have difficulty sleeping.
3. I find myself feeling worn out at the end of the day.
4. I have increased digestive problems such as heartburn, constipation and diarrhea.
5. I feel self-conscious or inadequate.
6. I have difficulty concentrating, making decisions or remembering things.
7. I feel depressed or I cry uncontrollably.
8. When things don’t go my way I get angry and aggressive.
9. I experience shakiness, trembling or nervous laughter.
10. I eat more food or drink more alcohol to make myself feel better or more at ease.
11. I experience eye strain and/or have dark circles under my eyes.
12. I feel all wound up, tense or nervous.
13. I experience tension or tightness in the muscles of my neck, back or jaw.
14. I have arguments with my co-workers or boss.
15. Changes in my daily routine, living conditions or relationships cause me distress.
There are varying degrees of stress:
· Acute stress – tension, headaches, emotional upsets, gastrointestinal disturbances, feelings of agitation and pressure.
· Episodic acute stress is more serious and can lead to migraines, hypertension, stroke, heart attack, anxiety, depression, serious gastrointestinal distress.
· Chronic stress is the most serious of all. It’s the stress that never ends. It grinds us down until our resistance is gone. Serious systemic illnesses such as diabetes, decreased immunocompetence, and perhaps cancer are its hallmark.
· Traumatic stress is the result of massive acute stress, the effects of which can reverberate through our systems for years.
Do any of these things sound like you?
If so, what can we do to handle stress?
Here are some things that experts suggest:
1- Identify your triggers
2- Get a Massage
3- Do Breathing exercises
4- Do some Aerobic exercise
5- Develop a support network: Studies show that women are better able to cope with emotional stress than are men due, in part, to their stronger support networks.
As Christians, where do we find our solution to stress?
Only the Lord can relief us from the stresses of daily life
The world may have its solutions, but they will not last
What answers can we get from this Psalm?
Verse 1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
Most of our troubles continue because we don’t know how to pray effectively
It’s not a matter of throwing words to heaven; David wanted to know God was hearing him
How often do we feel our prayers are going nowhere?
The power of prayer may be lacking due to little passion
We don’t have to persuade God with emotional outbursts
Believe or not he cares about what upsets us
We need to stir ourselves up to take hold of Him
Isaiah 64:7 And there is no one who calls on Your Name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You
We see how David did this
1. Prayer and supplication
Verse 1
This is and should be our first point of action
How many times do we try to sort things out ourselves, then turn to the Lord when it all goes pear shaped?
Verse 1 is broken into three parts:
In his prayer David starts by saying, "O God of my righteousness!"
David is praising God for who He is
It is important for us to take our eyes off ourselves and become conscious of the goodness and greatness of our God
This life is not all about you it’s about God
There would be less stress if more people had the attitude: "It’s not about me!"
Secondly, David expressed his appreciation to God, saying, "You have relieved me in my distress."
Notice that David uses the past tense here. He acknowledges that God has comforted him in the past
When we are stressed we have a hard time remembering all the good that we have experienced
David reflects on the past with a heart of thankfulness
God has done some wonderful things in our lives, often using stressful circumstances to bring about His purposes
When we appreciate what God has done in the past we stop focusing inward and start looking upward!
Thirdly, David makes his request, "Be gracious to me and hear my prayer."
David asks for grace in this situation
Paul said, Your grace is sufficient for me
David was confidant God would hear him
If prayer seems unanswered, try this spiritual examination:
Ø Are you abiding in Christ? John 15:7
Ø Do you have unbelief? Matt 17:20-21
Ø Have you neglected fasting? Matt 17:21
Ø Is your marriage and relationships right? 1 Peter 3:7
Ø Do you have unconfessed sin? James 5:16
Ø Are you lying and being deceitful? Ps 17:1
Ø Do you neglect to read and study the word? Prov 28:9
Ø Do you pray repetitive and lengthy prayers like a shopping list? Matt 6:7
2. In Stillness
Verse 4
One of the simplest commands God has ever given, and yet the most difficult to keep, is to "be still."
The Bible says, "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord" Psalm 27:14
People bring stress upon themselves by not "waiting for the Lord."
Phillips Brooks once put it this way, "The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t" (Nelson’s p.599).
It was the same for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. God led them with the spectacular display of a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Over time, the people grew impatient. Among other things, God was teaching them to wait on His leadership, to be patient
They couldn’t even wait for Moses to come back down; they built the golden calf!
We have to allow God to do things in His time, not ours!
When David wrote, "Meditate in your heart upon your bed," he gives a brilliant picture of what it means to "be still."
Every Christian ought to take time with God; set aside a time, maybe in bed before we go to sleep, to mediate on God’s Word and share our hearts with Him
Meditate by filling your heart and mind with God’s promises
The only way to manage stillness is to intentionally put it into your daily to-do list
Make an appointment with God every day and don’t break it
David learnt how to calm himself down v5
Illustration: My mum had sunk into depression after dad’s death; she needed to tell herself she wasn’t ill, but grieving, she wasn’t incapable or old; this motivated her to start living again.
We need to talk to ourselves at times to put things into perspective
Reason with yourself; weigh up your thoughts with scripture
What does God say about the situation?
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind Eph 4:23; break down the strongholds of lies
The advantages will benefit you greatly-- stress relief included
3. Sacrifice
Trusting in the Lord and behaving righteously under distressing times is like sacrificing your life and placing trust in Him
"Trusting in the Lord," is an crucial part of the Christian life
It’s difficult to trust when we can’t see what’s ahead of us
Illustration: A pilot was having difficulty landing his small airplane because fog had hidden the runway. So the air traffic controller decided to bring the plane in by radar. As the pilot received instruction, he suddenly recalled a tall poll in his flight path. Stricken with panic, he feverishly appealed to the control tower. A blunt reply came back, "You obey instructions, and we’ll take care of obstructions."
The Bible says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5
To often, we worry about tomorrow instead of trusting God
Jesus said not to worry about anything
Matt 6:25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matt 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.
Matt 10:19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak
Lay down your life and make a sacrifice to the Lord that you won’t take it up again
Sacrifice by giving even when you have little to give (the widows mite)
It’s in times when you give and when you don’t have you are saying, ‘Lord I’m trusting in You’
It’s in times when you don’t want to come to church but you do, you are saying, ‘Lord I will offer up my life in sacrifie to you’
Finally we see in verses 6-8 how David received blessings from God
Why?
He finally got things into perspective. He saw the bigger picture. He knew God was in control
He can now lie down in peace and sleep, so can you
