Health and healing

What does the Bible say about stress?

As we go through life we all experience the pressure and strain of circumstances that we tend to call stress. For some this is just a build up or pressure which causes tiredness and irritability. For others it leads to a crisis and what some people call a breakdown.

Life sometimes causes us to

feel like a rubber band stretched tight. Pressures build up and pull us in different directions or pull against our sense of well-being.

What are the factors that cause stress?  Here are just a few causes:-

1. Trying to do too much work with too little time or too few resources often stretches us beyond our capacity to cope. An example of this in the Bible was when Pharaoh demanded that the Israelites produced more bricks!(Ref)

2. Stress has been defined as too many hats to wear, and only one head! Trying to live in today’s society with its many demands may put excessive pressures on us. We are pulled in different directions by the various responsibilities of life.

3. Trying to cope with the financial demands of life without adequate income is a stretching experience.

4. Unemployment

5. Poor health

6. Marital difficulties or difficulties in parent-child relationships can bring stress into life. Nobody prepares you for teenagers, or aging parents for that matter. Any relationship issue can cause stress.

General Information about stress.

A certain amount of stress is good for us but when we get too much we tend to struggle and it can cause mental ill health.  It is far easier to prevent things getting out of hand than it is to cure things. When I was ill in this way I determined that when I got better I would do some teaching on this so that other people would not go down the same route. I have only recently felt able to start to keep this promise.

Encyclopaedia Information

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica stress is natural product of life. We can sometimes minimise it but we cannot escape it. The problem occurs when we do not handle it correctly and this ideally is what we need to do.

Fight and flight

So why do we suffer so much stress?  It certainly seems to be a feature of modern life. Scientists have come up with a brilliant theory called Fight and Flight. It all goes back to the Stone Age.

Think about a Stone Age man. He is armed, and ready to fight for food, women and to defend his cave. If any man or animal comes against him he can respond in one of two ways. He can either fight or flee depending on

1. his courage,
2. physical strength
3. or the odds against him.

His body prepares for either fight or flight by causing the heart to beat faster and the blood pressure to rise. He may raise his fists, lift his club or simply run.

Fight and flight in Modern Society.

However to behave in this way is not acceptable in modern society. Problems occur when the body is ready to cope with danger but cannot do so. A sock on the jaw often offends!

It would not be socially acceptable for someone to jump out of his car and thump another driver. He would of course be prosecuted.

The problem is that because no action is taken his body systems remain over-active, and there is a build-up of adrenalin. If this sort of thing happens on a regular basis it can lead to conditions such as

• high blood pressure,
• chemical imbalances,
• low immunity and fatigue

Stress builds up

Stress and pressure build up unless we find acceptable ways of dealing with them. Over a period of time the body can become ill and I am sure that we have all heard of stress-related symptoms and illnesses. Another big problem is that mental health is such a taboo subject, most people who suffer problems don’t get the help they need.

I am sure that we have all come across people that do all the right things and yet still suffer stress. The truth is that some of us are more susceptible than others.

So what is the answer?

The Bible has much to teach us about dealing with stress; doing the right things may not make us immune but it does go a long way. We often hear it said that God can bring peace in the midst of stress. But if this is true then why do we find it so difficult? Here are a few thoughts that you might find helpful.

Firstly we need to look at the nature of God and his promises.

Christianity teaches that God is a God of grace and compassion.  He loves us intimately and forgives all our short comings and yet we judge ourselves harshly. If we struggle with stress then it is important that we do not judge ourselves because God doesn’t. One of the things that I have learnt the hard way is that people who suffer with stress and stress-related illnesses tend to be perfectionists and we have over high expectations of ourselves. It is true that God wants us to do the best with our lives but he also understands our weaknesses.

Hebrews 4 v 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

If we suffer with stress we need to meditate on the love of God and remember that he is a God of grace.

Secondly, God seems to promise good health and well-being in the Bible, but sometimes with conditions attached.

Psalm 103:1-5 [Of David.]

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

3who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Although this Psalm suggests that God heals from diseases, it does require a commitment on behalf of the recipient to have a positive attitude of praise and thanksgiving towards God. We need to look at the conditions as well as the promises of God.

Thirdly People testify to the healing power of this, and other ‘healing’ scriptures, by reading them out loud and claiming the promises. I am sure that God wants to heal us of the bad effects of stress, but we have to put in the spadework – we have to work at applying it.

Fourthly There may be physical reasons why a person cannot get into a place of peace amidst stress – severe stress can disrupt the brain chemicals, so that messages are not correctly received through the brain. This person does not simply need peace, they need specific physical healing to restore chemical balances – either through prayer or medication or very often both, in order that they can access peace.

Having said all that, we have to recognise that life is not simple, and sometimes we do everything we possibly can, yet still the problems persist. If you need medical or other professional help such as a cousellor, do not delay. Neither should you give up on God’s healing – it can come slowly, and in ways we do not understand or expect. God’s ways are sometimes a bit of a mystery! Be faithful to him in all your ways, as you know he is faithful to you.

Here are some scriptures that might be helpful

Psalm 55:22 . . . Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

Isaiah 41:10 . . . Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

Matthew 11:28-30 . . . Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

John 14:1 . . . Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me.

John 16:33 . . . I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.