God tells us in Philippians 4:6(NLT), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” This verse represents a strategy for a life of peace and prosperity in Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6 makes it clear that living a more than abundant life is one where you and I don’t worry about all the cares of everyday life. Instead, we shift ourselves into prayer and thankfulness. So, living the more than abundant life that our precious Lord and Savior talks about in John 10:10 has a lot to do with what is going on in our minds and hearts. A peaceful mind and a thankful heart will establish the landing strip for God’s abundance to land.

Anxiety has become a way of life for many people living in our modern times. They are very concerned about the future. Problems and issues are more complex than any of us ever imagined they would be, and we’re struggling to wrap our heads around them. There doesn’t appear to us to be a solution, but God has established in His Word that trusting Him is forever and always the solution. Everything that exists belongs to Him. He has all power and control and having faith in this is required for every believer in Christ. Hebrews 11:6(NLT) tells us, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” We should want to please God in everything that we do, because pleasing Him causes us to increase and go higher in Christ.

Have a thankful heart

It’s not a stretch to say that if we have a roof over our heads, food in our cabinets, and a job that provides financial support for our lives, we’re in reasonably good shape. There are many that don’t have these blessings, and they don’t know where their next meal is coming from. They might not have a roof over their heads or a job that pays enough to live on. Because we know and trust Him, God has covered us with His grace, and we must be incredibly thankful to our Heavenly Father that we’re not struggling to the degree that many are. Some individuals don’t see it this way, and they don’t have a deep well of gratitude. They’re not thankful for all that God has done for them, and this is a problem. Thanking God for all He has done, as it says in Philippians 4:6, is a very important part of living abundantly, and we must commit ourselves to practice thankfulness to Him every day.

The way to deal with any stressful situation in life is to simply have faith in God. Jesus Christ said in Mark 11:23(NLT), “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Our gratitude to God keeps us from becoming vain in our hearts. It helps us steer clear of things like doubt and a lack of confidence when it comes to God’s strength and power.

The psalmist, King David, said in Psalm 62:7 (NLT), “My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.” Psalm 84:11(NLT) says, “For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” Psalm 46:1(NLT) also tells us, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” When we fail to trust God with all our problems, no matter how big they may be, we are demonstrating that we do not believe He is who He says He is in these verses and the rest of His Word. We should never want to send that kind of message. Trusting God to intervene on our behalf, to solve our problems, and to be our Rock and Refuge, honors Him, and we must have confidence that He will do everything He has promised to do for us in His Word.

Pray about everything

Our Heavenly Father’s Will is that our prayers to Him in the powerful and precious name of Jesus Christ will become our lifestyle. He wants faith and prayer to be our go-to response for everything and anything that causes us stress. Prayer is our solemn and sacred communication to the Creator of all there is, and it is always a two-way street. We expect that He will hear and believe us, and He expects that we will hear and believe Him and His Word. Prayer requires relationship. God knows exactly who we are because He created us and appointed the time and place of our births. Jesus Christ tells us in Luke 12:7 that God knows the number of hairs on our heads, so He is intimately familiar with every detail of our lives. Again, He knows who we are, and we must also get to know who He is through His Word.

Revelation 22:13 tells us that He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. God is magnificent beyond magnificence and perfect beyond perfection. He is holy, righteous, good, pure, and true in every way. When we truly know and believe in His majesty, love, power, and sovereignty, an appreciation and awe of His greatness can’t help but be in our hearts and minds when we pray. 1Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. He is delighted when we pray and communicate with Him, and as His children, we should feel the same way. We should understand what a privilege it is to be able to come into His presence and tell Him whatever it is that is on our hearts.

Stressful situations are a part of life on earth. Things pop up all the time. Some situations are more stressful than others, and they can sometimes catch us off guard. We have been programmed by society to respond to them with anxiety and worry, but God’s Word gives us the best and optimum strategy, which is to remain thankful for God’s many blessings, and take everything to Him in prayer with faith and believing. So, rather than seeing problems and issues as insurmountable, we must learn to see them as opportunities to apply our faith so that we can witness the goodness and power of God at work in our lives.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“Handling Stressful Situations”, written for Springfield Fellowship © 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.