Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7
I was watching television not long ago, and they were doing a report about how people today are experiencing more stress in their lives than ever before. They talked about China, where some workers are dying because they’re working upwards of 17 hours a day. And here in the U.S., three-quarters of Americans are currently experiencing physical symptoms of stress.
I believe that one of the biggest reasons for this epidemic is that so many today live under an illusion of rest. They think, “Oh, I get 7 or 8 hours of sleep, so I’m rested.” But real rest and rejuvenation doesn’t come by sleeping. It comes by having someone who can take your burdens away and give you peace.
Now don’t get me wrong here, you need sleep. In fact, you also need to be taking planned time off from your daily job to recuperate from those daily stresses. But the best remedy to stress doesn’t come from a few days away. It comes from God. He’s the only one who can truly give you peace that surpasses all understanding.
So if you’re dealing with stress, let God know because you’re promised that when you do, His perfect peace will overcome you and your heart and mind will be guarded in Christ Jesus!
GETTING RID OF STRESS IS ABOUT MORE THAN JUST TAKING A BREAK. GIVE YOUR ANXIETIES TO GOD AND LET HIS PEACE FILL YOU!
“And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.”
Luke 4:38–40
In the time of Jesus they did not have the advanced medical care that we are blessed with in our day. As a result, even relatively simple diseases and infections could easily become life-threatening. The arrival of Jesus in a town meant that there was hope for people, no matter how sick they might have been or what their problems were. Peter’s mother-in-law had such a serious fever that she had been completely incapacitated. A few words from Jesus, however, took away the fever and restored her strength.
It’s not always God’s will to heal. (For instance, God did not give healing to the Apostle Paul, although 2 Corinthians 12:8 tells us that Paul prayed earnestly for it.) But as Jesus went about healing people, He revealed the power of God that is able to heal. His was not the healing of “professionals” who go into town and a hold a meeting but never go to a hospital to heal the people there. Instead, it was the supernatural healing of God.
Sometimes God does choose to supernaturally heal His people, and He encourages us to pray for healing: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). But whether or not it is God’s will to give physical healing, the spiritual healing He has given through salvation is the greatest miracle ever.
Today’s Growth Principle:
The miraculous physical healing Jesus sometimes gave proved His power as God; the miraculous spiritual healing He always gives proves the power of His gospel.
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