Daily Devotional
Do You Need to De-Stress?

October 21, 2020

Ponder This

So many folks I know are all stressed up with nowhere to go. You're tense and frenetic, running around so busy, in a hurry, afraid to be still. God wants His people to learn how to get quiet, to lie down in green pastures, and to drink from still waters.

Listen to this: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). You say, “How can I do that? The world is closing in on me! I need help!” “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

It’s time to look to your Shepherd, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). The composer Bach wrote an anthem, “God My Shepherd Walks Beside Me.” In Psalm 23 we have a portrait of who our Shepherd is: compassionate and caring. “…He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom…” (Isaiah 40:11). When I was a lamb, thank God, He carried me. If He hadn’t, I never would have made it. He is the courageous Shepherd. “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Your good shepherd fights for you, His sheep.

Practice This

When you are stressed, pause, and remember this. Breathe deeply of the presence of God. Read Psalm 23 today. Allow His Spirit to lead you beside still waters. He has promised, “…I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrew 13:5). Memorize Hebrews 13:5 and Psalm 145:18, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” There is nothing in your life that your Shepherd cannot handle.