Stress and Ministry

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…”  Ephesians 6:12

Stress serves as a reminder we cannot fulfill the tasks God has called us to perform apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. The pressure of stress creates a vacuum in our mind that quickly fills with doubt, fear, and worry.  If these thoughts remain unchecked, they will grow into discouragement, anxiety, and isolation. These problems can lead to disillusion, depression, and defeat. We need to learn how to recognize this vacuum and fill it with Divine Space.

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me….Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be  above all the earth….My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise….Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.  Psalm 57:1,2,5,7,9

In I Samuel 24, we find the account of why this psalm was written. While inside a cave seeking refuge from Saul, David wrote this psalm of worship to God. At a time when his life and the lives of his men were in jeopardy, David turned his eyes in praise to God for deliverance.  The solution was unorthodox and extremely risky, and David did not realize how it would end, but God provided salvation and a momentary peace between Saul and David as a result of this terrifying ordeal.

Throughout Scripture men and women of God turned moments of dire stress into opportunities of worship and deliverance. The vacuum created by pressure, in which your priorities and thoughts are rearranged, provides a chance to step back and fill this void with praise to God and His abiding Spirit. When we seek God in difficult times, we shift our focus from “What am I going to do?” to “Praise to the I AM who can deliver me!”

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”  I Peter 5:7-10

I do not spend much time worrying over what Satan is doing. This verse accurately conveys his desires and methods. A lion isolates the weakest, smallest, or most vulnerable prey to devour it. Likewise, Satan uses the same tactics. Being under his attack is like flying into a cloud or driving into a fog bank. Vision is essential. The mist cannot kill you, but any mistake you make could. A safe heading is vital for survival, and sometimes you have to stop or even turn back to establish the way forward.

Spiritually our vision comes from faith. Our faith connects us to God in times when there is no other way to see forward. When we worship God, we minimize the distraction of the mist and magnify the presence of our Guide. The Light of His Glory shines through the thickest storm clouds.

Satan has no real power over a child of God. He can only distract, depress, and isolate his potential victims. The discouragement he brings us is filled with half-truths and lies. His strength has the strength of water vapor on a mountain. He only intends to darken our horizon to isolate us. Nothing he does can harm us. He wants us to separate ourselves from God because that separation is all the harm he needs to destroy us.

“I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.”  Psalm 142:2-5

This psalm was also written while David was in a cave fleeing for his life. Notice how he needed God to show him the path because a snare had been placed therein. David was isolated and in danger of making a fatal mistake. Knowingly, David cried out to God for guidance and deliverance. By recognizing God as his refuge, guide, and hope, David safely navigated the blinding fog of his enemies’ trap.

David faced many stressful moments throughout his life. However, he was a man who praised and sought God in difficult times. When stress comes upon you, take a step back and fill that gnawing void of doubt and confusion with praise to God.  Then allow God to fill the vacuum created by the pressures of life. Through the Holy Spirit, you have the power to be more than an overcomer. Your life can be a living example of God's faithfulness.