S.T.R.E.S.S. (Part 1)

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Luke 12:25

King Jehoshaphat heard that he was about to be attacked by three different armies. Talk about stress! His response is the example you need to follow when life gets overwhelming. His story is told in 2 Chronicles 20. Using the word S.T.R.E.S.S., we learn the following lessons:

S – Seek God’s guidance. ‘Jehoshaphat…set himself to seek the LORD’ (v. 3). Years prior when his father, King Asa, faced a similar threat, he responded by collecting the silver and gold from the temple and his palace and using it to bribe one of the raiding kings to defect to his side. That solved the immediate problem – but not without negative consequences. Although the invasion endeavor was abandoned, God became angry at his reliance on another king to help him conquer his enemies (see 2 Chronicles 16:1-9). So, He pronounced Asa’s punishment for the rest of his reign: ‘In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars’ (v. 9). He would live with the stress of constantly being at war because he had not sought after God’s counsel first. So, Jehoshaphat, his son, decided that he wasn’t going to take that route.

How about you? Do you stress out, attempting to figure out a solution instead of finding out how God wants you to deal with it? Think of the last problem you faced. Did you rely on the opinions of others or on your own ideas, or was your first idea to seek God? God promises this: ‘You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13). So, talk to God about it!

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to first seek You for guidance when I am faced with a stressful situation. Then give me the wisdom to do what you would have me do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.