Key Verse: Psalm 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” With the current state of affairs in the world its so easy to become stressed out. We can get stressed out over the economy, over the wars in Europe and the Middle East, over corrupt news media, and even stressed out over children’s education and future. There are so many reasons for us to feel stressed in our world today, and none of us are immune to stress. However, it is vital that we make sure we deal with our stress the right way. So many people deal with stress in unhealthy ways that often leads to sin, and regret. In Psalm 55 the psalmist says that we are to cast our burden on the Lord. Just as a fisherman casts his bait towards a target in the water with hopes of catching a fish, so too the Christian must cast their burdens on the Lord with faith that He will sustain them. When we feel stressed there is nothing wrong with relaxing, playing sports, going hunting, reading a book, or shopping. However, all of these things make you temporarily forget about what is stressing you out. The same is true for unhealthy ways of dealing with stress such as: drinking, drugs, having an affair, looking at pornography, etc. All of these things simply numb you to how you actually feel. This is why its so important to go to God in prayer about what is stressing you out. While other things simply numb your stress, anxiety, and that feeling of being overwhelmed, God actually gives you peace in the midst of stressful times. He strengthens you to deal with the problem and overcome it. He sustains you! If you feel like you are going under this morning due to the stressful circumstances you are dealing with I want to encourage you to take a few minutes and go to God in prayer. Tell Him what is making you feel defeated and overwhelmed. When you do this, God will make sure your circumstances don’t take you under. He will sustain you and give you the strength to keep going!
