A friend of mine shared a verse with me today, and it made me think. The verse is found in Psalm 119:143:
As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.
All 176 verses in this chapter focus on the law of God, His commandments, and how they are useful to guide us through life. However, this verse caught my attention as I read it amidst the rest of the chapter. I mean, when is there not pressure and stress in our lives!?! It’s a constant force that we live with.
It might seem counter-intuitive but think about some of God’s commands:
Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
Isaiah 41:10
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God.
Isaiah 43:2-3
Isaiah 43:2-3
The Bible is filled with promises such as these—commands from God that call us to a relationship with Jesus as a way to face the stress that hits us hard.
When we invite Him to walk with us, even as the walls seem to be closing in around us, we can find joy in the midst of the chaos because of the promises we find in His Word. Not because the chaos has magically gone away, but because the peace of Jesus is a sweet potion that covers us when we surrender to Him and remember that He always keeps His promises.
This verse could also speak to the fact that as the stress and expectations of the world bear down on us, we can find joy and simplicity in the fact that Jesus calls us to do two things: love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39).
He doesn’t tell us how to accomplish it. He simply tells us to do it.
I don’t have to compare myself to others or follow a set program on how to love God and others.
As long as I’m pursuing Him and serving those around me, I can rest in the promise that it’s enough. As the stress of life hits you hard, may you remember God’s promises are for you.
