Editor's note: Enjoy today's devotion from What God Promises You by Dr. David Jeremiah.
*
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. — Psalm 37:7
When a series of wildfires threatened the small town of Lake Arrowhead, California, in September 2024, Dayna Wyland prepared to evacuate her home and community. Wyland tried to stay and ride out the flames but ultimately packed her bags when she received a third emergency alert on her phone.
“My car is full of pictures because I’m so sentimental,” she told reporters. “That’s what’s important to me, pictures. My car [is] full of pictures [from] all over the house. Photo albums, everything.”
Normally, a family evacuating because of wildfires would not be a newsworthy story. I myself have been forced to evacuate because of fires on more than one occasion. But Dayna Wyland’s story is different because this was not the first time she’d fled from the wrath of nature. Or the second. Or the third. Incredibly, Dayna Wyland has experienced (and survived) five natural disasters over the course of her lifetime. The first was Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when Wyland’s home was submerged. Her family jumped in their car just in time and drove across the border into Texas. Then, only a few months later, they were forced to evacuate again when Hurricane Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast. A few years after that, the Wylands evacuated their new home because of wildfires. Then, in 2022, they were trapped inside their home for eleven days without power because of a blizzard. Two years after that came the second wildfire evacuation in Lake Arrowhead.
After her fifth natural disaster, Dayna Wyland was christened by many on the internet as the “world’s unluckiest woman.” Her son recently tried to convince her to move closer to him in Pittsburgh, where there are relatively few natural disasters — but she wasn’t convinced, saying, “I said I’m sure I’ll bring one with me, like flooding or something.”1
Now, we don’t all face a cluster of natural disasters that send us running from our homes — thank goodness! But we do all face stress. We all face seasons in which we feel like we’re buried by so much stress that we’ll never make it through.
That’s important because stress is a killer. It contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, and addictive disorders. It often leads to headaches and backaches. It results in trembling of the hands and fingers, lightheadedness, ringing in the ears, cold hands, and dry mouth. It can dramatically affect the skin by triggering psoriasis, eczema, hives, and itching. It has been traced to stomach and breathing disorders. Stress can cause hair loss, mood swings, insomnia, and nightmares. It produces nervous habits in the body like fidgeting of feet and finger tapping.
People under stress often lose energy and struggle with chronic fatigue. They’re apt to gain or lose weight, and many researchers believe that stress can trigger life-threatening diseases such as cancer, strokes, and heart attacks.
That’s just a partial list.
Christians certainly aren’t immune to stress. The Bible shares stories of men and women who dealt with high levels of pressure.
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians,
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. — 2 Corinthians 1:8–9 NIV
David also understood the crushing pressures connected with stress. After his victory over Goliath, he achieved great success as a soldier and captain in King Saul’s army. Then he became an object of jealousy and attempted murder. For years Saul hunted David across the wilderness, forcing him to live in caves and remain on the run. When Saul finally died and David became king, he took on the burden of leadership for a large and expanding nation — including spiritual leadership. And because of his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah, the later years of David’s life were filled with familial strife, including his own son attempting to kill him and seize the throne.
So yes, David struggled with stress. And in the midst of that struggle, he learned how to find what all of us need in such seasons: the promise of God’s peace and rest. Let’s look again at David’s words from Psalm 37:
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret — it only causes harm. — Psalm 37:7–8
A little later in that psalm, David spoke more directly of peace as a promise from God:
But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. — Psalm 37:11
The bad news is this: We’re all going to experience stress in this life. Lots of stress. But here’s the good news:
God promises to fill us with peace — an abundance of His peace — that will carry us through even the worst of situations.
- Ashley J. DiMella, “ ‘Unluckiest Woman’ Evacuates from California Wildfires After Surviving Multiple Natural Disasters,” FoxNews, September 11, 2024, https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/unluckiest-woman-evacuates-california-wildfires-surviving-multiple-natural-disasters.
Excerpted with permission from What God Promises You by Dr. David Jeremiah, copyright David P. Jeremiah.
* * *
Your Turn
If you’re in a time of tremendous stress, nothing strange is happening. We can expect to face great stress in this life. But, we can also rely on Jesus who promises us His peace to endure and thrive. ~ Devotionals Daily