How to Minimize Stress in Your Life

Are you feeling stressed about something today?

We live in a stress-filled world. And to be honest, the stresses of life aren’t going away any time soon, if at all. Your stress may be a result of something at home, a health issue, a relationship, work, or a ministry situation. Some days the stress seems unbearable. It’s in these times of stress that the name, Yahweh Rohi (God my Shepherd) is so special to us. We learn about Yahweh Rohi in Psalm 23. In this psalm, David points out five things to avoid that will help us minimize the stress of life. We will look at these five things to avoid over the next five posts. So how do we minimize stress in our lives?

The first thing to avoid is worry. Psalm 23:1 – “The LORD (Yahweh) is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

A good shepherd provides for his sheep. He will find good pasture for them; he will provide food, water and a place of rest.  He protects them from danger; he tends to their needs when they are sick or weak or hurt.      

If a human shepherd does that for his sheep, we can know that our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will do the same for us, His sheep. Because the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want or be in lack of anything. Therefore, I don’t need to worry about anything because my Shepherd is going to take care of me.

So why do we worry? Because we don’t trust that our Shepherd is going to take care of us. I’m a natural-born worrier. When I look at my to-do list, or things coming up, or ponder the “what-if’s,” I start to worry. But worry is not going to change anything.

How do we avoid worry? By trusting the Shepherd. If I trust my Shepherd to take care of me, I won’t worry. Just as a shepherd provides everything his sheep need, the Lord provides everything we need. Everything – everything we need, not everything we want.

If you are worried about something today, write it down on a piece of paper, and lay it before Yahweh Rohi. And then walk away from it, trusting Him to take care of you and to provide for your needs.

Yahweh Jireh, the Lord my provider will provide. I shall not want. So why worry?

If you want to learn more about the names of God, check out my Bible study on the names of God, The Cry of My Heart.