“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28). God has created us to be restful and not stressful. Human life is full of stress, anxieties, fears, doubts and worries. But God wants us to experience rest. This spiritual rest means calmness of mind, heart, soul and our entire inner existence. We can choose to be under stress or rest. With Lord Jesus with us, we find peace and serenity all along life’s journey.

Come under rest: We experience stress because of hurry, worry, uncertainty and failures. King David was under tremendous stress as he started climbing the ladder of success. He was a shepherd boy. God chose him to be the King of Jews. David knew the art of grazing and protecting the sheep. He knew music and singing. But he did not know the art of warfare, politics, administration, treaties with neighboring kings, crushing appraisals and economics. King Saul had fallen out of the favour of God. Though David was an honest and righteous person who helped King Saul in every way, King Saul perceived young David has a threat to his throne. He tried to use every opportunity to eliminate David. To deal with this stress, David used prayer, music, singing and communion with God. Psalm 23 is shepherd David’s Psalm. He continued to sing this Psalm from childhood till his last breath.

“He Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;  he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long” (Psalm 23:1-6).

Worry: David remained in the presence of the Lord always (Verse 6).

Many people go through stress, anxieties, depression, worries and pressure. This leads to sleeplessness and psychosomatic disorders. People suffer from physical and psychological abnormalities because of stress. Even after a lot of medication, there is no relief. Scarcity of jobs, finances, good health and together with peaceful relationships, uncertainties of life; failures in achieving the desired goals and oppositions from colleagues, lead to mental and emotional pressure.

Psychological, financial, sociological, political, emotional and mental stresses increase upon persons as they pass through the age of 40. At that age, they are no longer young to learn new things. The family life and jobs become stagnant or boring, the parents become very old and die, the companions become too busy in their own world and new challenges cope up continuously.

The Holy Bible teaches us to deal this with stress through super natural intervention.

Living in the presence of God, is a very successful method to deal with stress.

Anxiety: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1).

Move from worry to worship. Take out your focus from the scary waves of stress and fix your mind on the possibilities of God. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37). David focused on the shepherd who called him from the sheepfold to be a king. Thus, his life became a continuous worship of the living God. Instead of elaborating your problems, you start magnifying the power and glory of Almighty God. You are calling out god, “the Lord is my shepherd”, and he handles your worries. “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (1Peter5:7). Today you unburden your worries at the feet of the Lord and lead a stress free life. Every Saturday, people come to Divine Call Centre to unburden their worries and go back re-energized with joy and enthusiasm. They sing in their hearts, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1). As long as my Saviour is with me, I have nothing to fear or worry. Have such a confidence of faith!

Blocks: When the mighty Goliath was challenging the Israelites, 15 year old  David goes out to fight him. In our lives too, stressful life begins with teen age as we cross 15 years of age. Till that it’s a smooth ride. The temptations run high and challenges to success our pile up. We have to face the Goliath. If we do not kill him, the temptations will turn to bad habits and rule over us all through life. David takes a decision to completely eliminate Goliath. King Saul tries to help him with his armour. Young David finds the armour of King Saul too burdensome. Anointed with the Holy Spirit, David uses his own sling and stones, trusting in the power of God. Others advice and help can increase your stress. Therefore learn from David to face the stress of life. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13). St. Paul trusted that he can face any stress with the power of God.

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused” (Isaiah30:15).

Just by becoming a Christian, coming to a retreat centre or listening to a preaching, your stress will not reduce, come to Jesus and your stress will evaporate like the morning dew. The name of Jesus is above all means. Come to Him, be with Him, converse with Him, Praise Him & Worship Him. You will more from stress to rest.

Hurry: Human beings tend to hurry and achieve everything in life. When you are in a hurry to achieve the goals, you are stressed out on the journey of success. We need to be relax even while sweating it out on the hill of success. Hurry drains out our energy and we are not able to enjoy travel, relationships and the environment.

The rest comes from trust. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10). God is in charge of your life.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.  It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved” (Psalm 127:1-2). David was not in a hurry for he know his good shepherd will provide for all his needs. “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters” (Psalm23:2). “Still waters” means the Lord makes our heart and mind calm and relaxed. Be with Jesus and experience this abundant  peace and rest!