Stress
OPENING THOUGHT
A man sprinted to catch a bus in a busy city. Lunging through the door and up the steps, he staggered red-faced and panting down the aisle, collapsing into the first vacant seat. Finally, when he was able to speak, he asked, “Hey, where is this bus going?”
Does your life sometimes feel like you’re always in a hurry to get from point A to B and never quite making it on time? Do you feel out of control? Stressed out? Stress is a big problem! God’s Word has the solution.
EXPLORING GOD’S WORD
Ecclesiastes 4:4-12
What is the source of the stress described in v. 4? What does Solomon say about this “toil”?
What does Solomon mean when he says, “The fool folds his hands” in v. 5? Is work necessary? Is it possible to work hard and not be stressed out? How can work actually prevent stress?
What is the comparison being made in v. 6? What does Solomon say is better? What do you think is the basis for his judgment?
What do vv. 7-12 say about relationships? Discuss some ways relationships reduce stress in our lives.
1 Kings 19:9-18
What’s the meaning behind the progression of the strong wind, the earthquake, the fire, and then the low whisper? What does this say about where God’s presence is felt?
Walter Adams said, “To walk with Jesus is to walk with a slow, unhurried pace. Hurry is the death of prayer and only impedes and spoils our work. It never advances it.” In a world full of hurry and distraction, what can we do to leave the “earthquakes” and “fires” of life and find God in the “low whisper”?
Psalm 46:1-11
Why do we not have to be afraid?
“Be still” (v. 10) can mean to relax your grip on something. What things do we have to let go of to truly know God?
Ronald Rolheiser said, “Today, a number of historical circumstances are blindly flowing together and accidentally conspiring to produce a climate within which it is difficult not just to think about God or to pray, but simply to have any interior depth whatsoever…. We, for every kind of reason, good and bad, are distracting ourselves into spiritual oblivion.” Do you think this is true?
Matthew 14:22-23
Review Matthew 14. What had Jesus been going through? Do you think he was stressed?
What did he have to do to find solitude? Do you think it's necessary sometimes to prioritize alone time?
What did Jesus do when he was alone? How does prayer combat stress?
