Your alarms are blaring, there are too many things due today, and you can’t remember the last time you caught up with your family and loved ones. You don’t even remember what you had for lunch yesterday!

It’s so bad you want to pull out your hair (or what’s left of it).

Be it work, family, relationships, a persistent sin – or all of it altogether – life can seem too much to handle. Many of us are juggling so much, it is a matter of when – not if – we burn out.

Relying on ourselves feels like that. We may be affected by the increasing pressure, and will eventually become too weak to continue. We need to draw from something to make it through.

As a Christian, you are loved by a God who is bigger than all your deadlines and problems. Better still, Jesus is your Source, one you can draw from unendingly in times of strain.

While problems threaten to swallow us whole, remember that nothing is too hard for the Lord we serve (Jeremiah 32:17).

Here are 5 things you can prayerfully do to mitigate stress.

1. Pray

Our God listens to His children, all our praises, our worship, our woes. Photo from Depositphotos.com

All you need is a simple prayer, just as David prayed in Psalm 142, praying, “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalm 142:1-2)

Even Jesus himself cried out to God as he was nailed to the cross, pleading, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

When you can’t muster up something, even letting out a cry reaches God. Romans 8:26 says: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.“

2. Meditate

In the Bible, meditating means to ponder on God’s Word and reflect deeply on its truths. It is not a one-time instance of rushing through the Bible and calling it a day.

Rather, we are to meditate on it day and night (Joshua 1:8).

Reading the Word may feel like a chore or an obligation especially when you have a looming deadline. But meditating on a verse a day can be surprisingly reflective. Psalm 119 emphasises the value of meditating on God’s word as a source of life, joy and hope!

Reading the Bible doesn’t have to be intimidating. Why not focus on a verse and meditate on it throughout the day? Photo by Worshae on Unsplash.

The Hebrew word for “meditate” is linked to “ruminate” or to chew slowly and thoughtfully. Meditating on a verse allows us to dive deep into each word and appreciate God’s intentionality.

While meditating, we can process the doubts, beliefs, and our past experiences that may be brought to mind. When we sit with the discomfort of facing our feelings in light of God’s word, we find comfort, healing, peace, and new hope.

3. Remember how God has provided for you

Singaporeans can be described with one word: kiasu. We worry about lack.

“What if I don’t have enough?”

“If I had __, I would be happy.”

This sense of security and contentment is temporary and fleeting. Only God can give us what we long for (John 4:13-14).

Like the Israelites who went through the wilderness, we tend to grumble, forgetting how God provides for us perfectly in His plan. In Numbers 14, 12 men scout Canaan, the land God has promised to give Israel that is overflowing with milk and honey.

Most of them, seeing giants in the land, declared that they wish they had died in Egypt or the wilderness instead! They forgot the times God had freed them from their captors, provided for their needs, and gave them victory over their enemies.

Our fear of lack is misplaced. God loves us dearly, is always involved in our lives and watches over us. Photo from Depositphotos.com

We too are forgetful people who often neglect God’s goodness, so we need reminders. People in the Old Testament built stone memorials to mark how God has brought them through challenging points of their lives.

A good practice to build is to keep a record of every prayer God has answered, big or small. Journal it, keep it as a note in your phone, write it as a timeline, or doodle. Do what works for you to erect your personal memorial stones to the Lord.

This way, we remember a faithful God who has seen us through, and will continue to do so. God has determined that He will meet all our needs according to the riches in glory by Christ Jesus .(Philippians 4:19)

Don’t be kiasu! Instead, rejoice as God calls us to! 

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

4. Learn to lament (and learn from it)

There are times life will deal us a blow and we are left with questions and doubts. 

Wrestling with our sorrow and voicing our pain earnestly is a way to reframe our perspective and put our trust in God.

Job, a blameless, upright and wealthy man, experienced immense suffering as his faith was tested. He lost his wealth, children and health all at once. Mourning, he lamented the day of his birth. He questioned God’s wisdom, justice and goodness.

God challenged Job directly. Eventually, Job was restored and proclaimed righteous in God’s eyes.

In the book Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy, the author Mark Vreogop suggests four key elements biblical lament uses to despair well:

Turn: Address God. Begin the conversation by talking to Him.

Complain: Speak to God about your struggles, questions, and frustrations.

Ask: Confidently call on God to act in accordance with his character, being bold as you make your requests.

Trust: Express trust or praise to God, anchoring your soul in God-centred worship.

We can be honest with God about how we feel. No matter how raw, candid or messy our emotions are, He is not afraid of them.

5. Turn down the noise

During Jesus’ ministry, he often retreated from the crowd, like in Mark 1:35-39. After Jesus spent the night praying and in solitude with God, he went on to preach and heal people for the rest of his travels in Galilee. His rest fuelled his work. He also encouraged his disciples to spend time alone with Him and get some rest. (Mark 6:31)

Being silent in God’s presence is like recharging your internal battery.

True rest comes through surrendering our hearts, minds, and souls to Jesus. 

When was the last time you were well-rested? We need to pause our pace and learn to become “be-ers”, not “doers”.

It is why God made the Sabbath. Finding a time of rest amidst our labour allows us to recognise God’s sovereignty, realign our priorities and draw closer to God. Acknowledging our limitations and focusing on God will refresh us.

In a world where notifications ping every minute and everything seems to vie for our attention, finding a quiet moment seems impossible.

Too often, most of us find ourselves drained or crashing out. It is transformative to unplug and enter into a quiet place with God daily. Photo from Depositphotos.com

To reduce burnout, it is essential to guard our time with God and cut off external and internal noises. This could look like starting the morning off with quiet time before our schedules catch up to us or taking silence and solitude retreats periodically. Avoid distractions like doom scrolling.

If you only have five minutes, calm your anxious mind with breathing exercises. One of the most powerful breathing exercises involves the very name of God. As you inhale slowly and deeply with your stomach, say “YH” (Yah). As you exhale slowly, say “WH” (weh). Breathing the name of God destresses and clears the mind in a powerful way!

Take heart!

Here’s the good news: that heavy weight we bear does not have to be ours. God comforts us, for we can rest in Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).

The Bible assures us that He even remembers the sparrows, and He knows the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12: 6-7). Regardless of our worries, we can trust a loving God who sees all, knows all, and is all-powerful. We are precious to Him.

1 Corinthians 1:25 says: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

We can take heart: we are weak and insufficient, but God is not.

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