Yesterday afternoon I was surprised to see my friend Annette walking toward me on the sidewalk. She normally doesn’t get off work until 6PM. She told me that she had been let go after her employer reorganized the work and eliminated her position. She has a mortgage, a car payment, and an elderly mother in declining health. Annette is feeling severely stressed. She isn’t alone. Many of us feel stressed. The economy is a big factor, but teen-age children, dreadful diseases, and betrayal by trusted friends all create stress.

How do we live in times like these? When I feel stressed by the world around me, I turn to the person who has carried me through a lifetime of challenges. I turn to Christ. This sounds like an over-simplified answer. It is. Yet this simple statement sums up a lifetime of growing in relationship and maturing in faith that all started with that simple act. Today, even though I continue to live in relationship with him, I can say that I turn to him, because there are specific things I do in order to build the relationship. Those things help me live through stress that might otherwise be very destructive.

1. I read the Bible – The Bible is full of stories about people who have been through every imaginable sort of trauma. It gives me courage and helps me persevere through tough times when I realize how God helped other people.
2. I pray – My prayers are not formulas, although years of talking with God have taught me a lot about that conversation. I speak, and I listen.

At a high level, this is all that I do. Yet prayer and Bible study are richly intertwined and multi-faceted. The world is full of books that present a daunting array of variations on these disciplines. Filtering through all those choices might itself be a stressful experience. If anyone wants to test my strategy, I suggest only a couple of possibilities. If they prove valuable, they may become springboards to exploration of other options. These methods are not original with me. I learned them from others, although I have modified them to suit my needs. Everyone should feel free to do the same. These strategies blend study and prayer into an experience that will encourage each person to make the truths personal and to live them in word and deed. Bible study and prayer integrated by these methods rescue me from the frightful feeling that I need to fix the world myself. They help me stay focused on Christ.

First, personalize the Bible.

• Every letter written by the apostle Paul was written to a person or a group of people. As you read one of Paul’s letters, put your name in the text when you see the word “you” or “us.” For example, “[God] chose Katherine in Christÿÿ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined Katherine for adoption as his child.” (Ephesians 2:4-5)
• It is easy to see the very personal nature of many of the Psalms. Read a Psalm and put your name in it. “The Lord is Katherine’s shepherd. Katherine shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) When you hear your own name in the Bible prayers and promises, it is very nourishing and sustaining.

Second, when praying, take time to listen.

• Breathe your prayer – When God created humans, the Bible says that he breathed into us the breath of life. Later, Moses told the Israelites that they need not go far to seek out God’s truth, because he said, “the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 30:14) It is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts.I like to fight stress with a breathing prayer that might sound like this:

I breathe out anger, I breathe in love.

I breathe out despair, I breathe in hope.

I breathe out weariness, I breathe in delight.

I breathe out routine, I breathe in surprise.

I breathe out self, I breathe in Christ.

• Simply be quiet – Pray the verse, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

There are many different ways to approach Bible study and prayer, but these methods have helped me let go of stress and turn in faith to Christ who gives me courage and strength for each day. Stress is ever-present in human life. A living relationship with Christ helps us face stress and gives us hope for our future. The best way to nurture that relationship is to practice Bible study and prayer.

Katherine Harms — http://katherineharms.com
With the Holy Spirit as the wind in my sails, I’m Living on Tilt. Join me in the great adventure, growing in faith, living in confidence, fulfilling your unique creation promise. Visit my website for devotional materials and Christian fiction.

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