I am stressed! Help me!
Henry Sujaya: I am stressed!!! Help! When we feel under Pressure.
On God’s Shoulders
“….and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place” (Deuteronomy 1:31).
A mother receives a message from her daughter who is studying overseas. She reads the message line by line. –
“Mom, forgive me. Don’t be shocked, Mom. But it turns out I’m pregnant. I plan to move in with my boyfriend, and I want to drop out of school… Please forgive me, Mom…” “…………”
Long pause, like eternity.
I am stressed!!! Help!
The mother’s heart nearly stops. A suffocating feeling fills her chest, reaching up to her head.
Then she continues reading the last line.
“Just kidding, Mom. But this one is real: I didn’t pass my Math course; I have to retake it.”
Instantly, the mother feels an immense relief. Failing one course is truly a minor issue. If her child had said she failed outright, the mother would have scolded her endlessly. Now, she has no intention of reprimanding her daughter.
Life can be like that sometimes, right? We often feel overwhelmed by our circumstances when we view them from only one perspective. Yet if we look from a different angle, suddenly we’ll find gratitude.
A classic story that often serves as a lesson for us is the story of the Israelites. They missed out on what they should have received because they complained and were ungrateful.
Ah, but we’re not like them… You might think.
Now, imagine if we were in their situation.
Comfortable? Far from it. It was hot, and there was no AC.
Tired? You tell me. Walking through the wilderness for 40 years!
Good food? The menu was the same every day: manna bread.
What about tomorrow? They said that one day they would reach the promised land inhabited by giants.
And so on…
I am stressed!!! Help!
If we compare their situation to ours, how would ours look?
What did the Israelites miss?
They failed to see from a different perspective:
Were they vulnerable and weak? No, the Lord demonstrated His power, parting the Red Sea and drowning their enemies.
Did they ever lack? No. When they were thirsty, the Lord provided water. When they were hungry, there was food.
Did they walk in uncertainty? No, because the Lord was with them in the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud.
Were the inhabitants of Canaan terrifying? Later on, we know that those tribes were terrified upon hearing about the coming of the Israelites and the mighty miracles of God in Egypt.
And finally, as Moses concluded, God carried them like a father carries his child.
I am stressed!!! Help!
Don’t view your life as if you’re crawling on the ground. Look at it from the perspective that you are being carried by the Lord. The view while crawling is different from the view when you’re on God’s shoulders.
So, if you’re feeling tired and overwhelmed right now, try to see it from a different perspective. Look at it from God’s point of view, where He gazes at you with overflowing love. Whatever you’re facing now, no matter how dark the future may seem, pause for a moment. Feel God carrying you on His shoulders.
I am stressed!!! Help!
Everything will be safe and sound in Him.
Be Still
“Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10).
How do we react when we hear bad news?
Often, we panic. There’s a part of our brain called the amygdala that triggers our fight or flight response. This panic can lead us to make grave mistake or make our lives full of stress.
So, what was Martin Luther’s reaction to discouraging news?
One of Martin Luther’s favorite Psalms was Psalm 46. It’s noted that in his darkest moments, Luther would invite his friends to sing this Psalm.
This very Psalm inspired Luther to pen the great reformation hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” It is said that Luther wrote this hymn during the Black Plague outbreak in the winter of 1527, which nearly took the life of his child.
Luther was physically weak from exhaustion at the time. However, he began meditating on Psalm 46, finding comfort, and gave birth to the hymn.
Then there’s the remarkable story of Don Richardson, a missionary to the Sawi people in Papua. He spent a long time trying to convert them but continuously faced rejection.
One day, while out in a boat with his wife and two infants, along with a Sawi tribesman, their boat capsized. Both children were carried away by the current. The river they were in was not just any river; it was a dark river infested with crocodiles.
Long story short, everyone survived!
I am stressed!!! Help!
When they returned, and the people heard the story, one of the Sawi elders came to Don and expressed his intention to convert.
“What made you choose the Tarop of God (which is Jesus Christ)?” Don asked.
“When I saw that the Lord could give you peace even when your two children were nearly drowned, I knew that everything you said about Him must be true. I decided that He could protect us too.”
How can we stay calm and be still when we hear bad news or find ourselves in dire situations?
The key is one thing:
Because we choose to believe.
Because we believe that God is good.
Because we believe that God is in control of everything, including what’s happening in our lives.
Because we allow the peace of God to rule over our panic.
Because we believe that God sustains us and that, in the end, all will be well.
“Be still and know that I am God!” – The word “be still” in Hebrew comes from the word “raphah”, meaning to relax or let go.
When we choose to be still, it’s the moment when we humble ourselves before the Lord, acknowledging that it is God’s hand that is mighty, not ours.
It’s the moment when we accept that God’s timing isn’t our timing but is always the best. Just as Peter wrote, “If you bow low in God’s awesome presence, he will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in his hands” (1 Peter 5:6, TPT).
I am stressed!!! Help!
Be still.
Relax.
Let go.
God is in control of everything. God is good.
