Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."
John 11:3
Anyone who has had a loved one get seriously sick knows what it feels like to be stressed out or anxious. It can happen all at once or it can be something serious which last for years. During such times, it is easy to get discombobulated, stressed out and anxious about anything and everything. We often joke around and say, "I'm stressed out!" But sometimes the stress and anxiety is overwhelming and harmful. Stress and anxiety have been defined as "a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances."
This week we are continuing our study in the Gospel of John. Last week we looked closely at the Good Shepherd and the continuing conflict that Jesus had been going through with the religious leaders. Now we will be turning toward the Seventh Sign that John writes about to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This sign deals with Jesus power over death and life itself.
In the passage above, there is an intense amount of stress in Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. They actually sent a message to Jesus, "... he whom you love is sick." Later on we will see that they believed that Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus. It is not too different for us. When someone close to us gets seriously sick, we pray and ask God for healing. We know that He can do anything. We also ask others to pray for us. We head to the hospitals. We sleep there. We pray more and hope that God will show up. The stress levels are immense.
In these situations there is no Five Steps to Overcoming Stress and Anxiety. We don't get to wave a magic wand and have everything turn out all right. What we do have is a Savior who loves us. We learn to trust Him before the moments of severe anxiety and stress, so that when those come, we find that we have an anchor in the storms of life. We find ourselves filled with a peace that passes all understanding because we trust in the One who has loved us and laid down His life for us. It is in knowing that He loves us that we will find the strength and courage to face the stresses and anxieties of life.
Blessings to you!
This was a very timely reminder for us, Devin. Thank you!