Stress, as understood in contemporary terms, refers to the mental, emotional, or physical strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. While the Bible does not explicitly use the term "stress," it addresses the concept through various narratives, teachings, and exhortations that relate to anxiety, worry, and the burdens of life.

Biblical Understanding of Stress

1. Anxiety and Worry: The Bible frequently addresses anxiety, which is closely related to stress. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks directly to the issue of worry: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34). This passage encourages believers to trust in God's provision and care, emphasizing the futility of worrying about future uncertainties.

2. Casting Burdens on the Lord: The Scriptures encourage believers to cast their burdens upon God, who is able to sustain them. Psalm 55:22 states, "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken" . This verse highlights the importance of relying on God's strength rather than bearing the weight of stress alone.

3. Peace through Prayer: The Apostle Paul provides guidance on dealing with stress through prayer and thanksgiving. In Philippians 4:6-7, he writes, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" . This passage underscores the transformative power of prayer in alleviating stress and bringing divine peace.

4. Trust in God's Sovereignty: Trusting in God's sovereignty is a recurring theme in Scripture that offers comfort in times of stress. Proverbs 3:5-6 advises, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" . This counsel encourages believers to rely on God's wisdom and guidance rather than their own limited understanding.

5. Jesus as the Source of Rest: Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to find rest in Him. In Matthew 11:28-30, He says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" . This invitation highlights the relief and rest found in a relationship with Christ.

6. Community and Support: The early church exemplified the importance of community in bearing one another's burdens. Galatians 6:2 instructs, "Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" . This principle encourages believers to support each other, sharing the load of life's stresses.

Examples of Stress in Biblical Narratives

· Moses: Moses experienced significant stress as he led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness. His frustrations and burdens are evident in passages such as Numbers 11:14-15, where he expresses his inability to bear the people's complaints alone.

· David: King David faced numerous stressful situations, from fleeing Saul to dealing with family strife. The Psalms often reflect his cries for help and reliance on God during these times (e.g., Psalm 31:9-10).

· Elijah: The prophet Elijah experienced stress and despair after his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. In 1 Kings 19:4, he expresses his desire to die, feeling overwhelmed by his circumstances. God responds by providing rest and sustenance, demonstrating His care for Elijah's physical and emotional needs.

The Bible offers a comprehensive approach to understanding and managing stress, emphasizing trust in God, the power of prayer, and the support of a faith community. Through these means, believers are encouraged to find peace and rest in the midst of life's challenges.1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care on him; for he cares for you.
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John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you: not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
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Philippians 4:6-7
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
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Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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Luke 10:41-42
And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are careful and troubled about many things:
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Job 30:27
My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
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Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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Matthew 6:33
But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
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1. (n.) Distress.

2. (n.) Pressure, strain; -- used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance.

3. (n.) The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress.

4. (n.) Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See Guide to pronunciation, // 31-35.

5. (n.) Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained.

6. (v. t.) To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties.

7. (v. t.) To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.

1142. daimon -- a demon
... See for example Rev 16:14, 18:2. Whereas 1140 () emphasizes the nature of fallen
angels, 1142 () may stress the pervasive presence of demons in the world.]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1142.htm - 7k

19. agathosune -- to do good
... Phonetic Spelling: (ag-ath-o-soo'-nay) Short Definition: goodness Definition: intrinsic
goodness, especially as a personal quality, with stress on the kindly ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/19.htm - 6k

4689. matsoq -- straits, stress
... 4688, 4689. matsoq. 4690 . straits, stress. Transliteration: matsoq
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-tsoke') Short Definition: distress. ...
/hebrew/4689.htm - 6k

4691. metsuqah -- straits, stress
... 4690, 4691. metsuqah or metsuqah. 4692 . straits, stress. Transliteration:
metsuqah or metsuqah Phonetic Spelling: (mets-oo-kaw') Short Definition: distresses ...
/hebrew/4691.htm - 6k

Whether it is Lawful to Steal through Stress of Need?
... OF THEFT AND ROBBERY (NINE ARTICLES) Whether it is lawful to steal through stress
of need? Objection 1: It would seem unlawful to steal through stress of need. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is lawful to 12.htm

We Will Pass on to Clear up Another of the Charges, if Only He ...
Life and Works of Rufinus with Jerome's Apology Against Rufinus. . ...
/.../we will pass on to.htm

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
... The metre most familiar to most of us is, I suppose, iambic: in this metre the line
is divided into pairs of syllables with the stress falling on the second ...
/.../the hymns of wesley and watts five papers/wesleys hymns reconsidered.htm

Be Ye Doers of the Word, not Hearers Only, Deceiving Your Own ...
... The first class make religion to consist altogether in the belief of certain abstract
doctrines, or what they call faith, and lay little or no stress on good ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/be ye doers of the.htm

Prevailing Prayer.
... Some have zealously used truth to convert men, and laid very little stress
on prayer. ... Not that they lay too much stress on prayer. ...
/.../finney/lectures on revivals of religion/lecture iv prevailing prayer.htm

The Temptation
... Mark has not recorded the details of our Lord's temptations, and lays more stress
upon the duration of the struggle, than the nature of the last and crowning ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 1 12 13 the temptation.htm

Thereafter He Shows that There are not Two Christs or Two Lords
... Jesus Whom ye crucified") "is not setting forth to us the mode of the Divine existence,
but the terms which belong to the Incarnation...laying stress by the ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 5 thereafter he shows.htm

Introduction
... best be mastered by the study of such idioms and phrases as are provided in this
book; but just as care must be taken to place every accent or stress on the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/introduction.htm

The Seven Oecumenical Councils.
... eighty millions, adopts, in common with the Roman communion, the doctrinal decisions
of the seven oldest oecumenical Councils, laying especial stress on the ...
/.../ 11 the seven oecumenical.htm

How we Don't Get In, and How we Do.
... Salvation is not by lineal descent, not by family line. It is "not of blood." John
clears that ground. Some of us put great stress on what we are in ourselves. ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/how we dont get in.htm

Stress (3 Occurrences)
... or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode
of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress...
/s/stress.htm - 8k

Accent (1 Occurrence)
... 4. (n.) A word; a significant tone. 5. (n.) expressions in general; speech.
6. (n.) Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse. ...
/a/accent.htm - 8k

Shear (5 Occurrences)
... contiguous parts of a body to slide relatively to each other in a direction parallel
to their plane of contact; -- also called shearing stress, and tangential ...
/s/shear.htm - 9k

Sadducees (14 Occurrences)
... DOCTRINES OF THE SADDUCEES 1. Laid Stress on Ceremonial Exactness 2. Disbelief in
the Spiritual World, in a Resurrection, and in Providence: Their Materialism 3 ...
/s/sadducees.htm - 31k

Zoroastrianism
... of Purim. And the stress laid on the prophetic ability of the Magi in
Matthew 2:1-12 is certainly not without significance. But ...
/z/zoroastrianism.htm - 17k

Hezekiah (124 Occurrences)
... Doubtless also many devotional echoes of these times of stress are deducible
from the Psalms, so far as we can fairly identify them. ...
/h/hezekiah.htm - 72k

Predestination
... No category of religious thought could go deeper, for it reaches down to the Infinite
Will in relation to the universe of finite wills, and lays stress on will ...
/p/predestination.htm - 26k

Redeemer (42 Occurrences)
... In other words, the redemption of life is to be interpreted so that stress
is laid upon the qualitative rather than the quantitative. ...
/r/redeemer.htm - 45k

Redemption (46 Occurrences)
... In other words, the redemption of life is to be interpreted so that stress
is laid upon the qualitative rather than the quantitative. ...
/r/redemption.htm - 48k

Gift (148 Occurrences)
... At times of intense emotional stress the memory acquires abnormal power, and persons
may repeat words and even long passages in a foreign language, although ...
/g/gift.htm - 59k

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