Trust God In The Stresses.

      The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
      3       The God of my rock; in him will I trust:
      He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge,
      My saviour; thou savest me from violence.
      4       I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:
      So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
      5       When the waves of death compassed me,
      The floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
      6       The sorrows of hell compassed me about;
      The snares of death prevented me;
      7       In my distress I called upon the LORD,
      And cried to my God:
      And he did hear my voice out of his temple,
      And my cry did enter into his ears.
                                The Holy Bible: King James Version.  1900 Authorized Version., 2 Sa 22:2–7.

---

      When we live life, as we all do, we find some days to be overwhelming.  Not because of some big thing that comes out of left field, but just a never ending drip. They come out of nowhere and seem to never end. If it were some big thing, we would easily find courage and understanding to run to God.  A sick child or loved one, a surprise bill, a new undertaking or challenge, or any number of major life altering issues quickly drive us to God. Let  me quickly say that I am not speaking against that. We should seek our God in the big and terrifying. I am beyond thankful that God is ready to answer in these times. David, the one whom our text speaks of, no doubt found God in the big times. He faced Goliath, a lion, and a bear just to name some obvious times that I am sure David sought God in. However, I am curious if we are so quick to seek Him in the small.  We are told to trust God in all your ways (Proverbs 3:5-6).

      Today, was one of those days for me. I, like many other pastors, am a dual vocational pastor. In my secular life, I am the service manager of a quickly growing car dealership. Many days I thoroughly enjoy my job and find lots of opportunity to try and shine the light of God into the community I am in.  Other days, it feels like someone opened the flood gates of crazy. The tempo is fast, the issues keep coming, and everything that comes my way is a problem.  We all have days like this, and we go home exhausted. Or, maybe you are a housewife, and you are at home, and are exhausted. There is no arguing that a stay at home mom is the greatest and hardest calling there is. My wife is awesome at it, but some days by the time I get home, the very sound of the dog's toe nails tapping on the hardwood floor is maddening. We all have daily stresses in our daily life. We should seek God on these days and everyday. However, somewhere in our fleshly, fallen minds we tend to compartmentalize God to just being the God of the big. We feel we should be able to handle the small. We try to power through, just breathe, and do all we can. And, by the end of the day, we feel like we have been wading in quick sand.  Today, the verses above needed to be placed as signs on my hands, and set as frontlets before my eyes (Deuteronomy 6:8).

       God is our refuge, fortress, and strength. We can find a hiding place from the stress. We can find a source of strength to mount up on wings as eagles above the storms of life. Trust in Him to keep you in the small and the mighty. Remind yourself you are not in this life alone and remember the words of David, "Thou savest me". God has saved us from hell and death. He has also delivered us from this present, evil world.  David tells us the secret of getting through: "I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies". Self reliance is the enemy of walking with God. It is our enemy in this life, but God will save us from it. Stress is an enemy of our walk in peace with God. God can, and will, save you from it; you need only be still. Our cries enter into the ears of God and He will answer. Start your day early by seeking God. Spend the day seeking God. Spend your lunch seeking God. Also, trust the ones God has placed in our lives that we can reach out to on days of trouble. 

       Lord, grant us the comfort to cast our cares on You. Grant us the strength to faint not in well doing. And bless us, Lord, to be Your hands and feet when others need us. Amen. God bless you all, and remember we are here for you. Let us know if we can pray for you.