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O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me (Psalm 131:1, NASB1995).
Do you wake up in the morning—sometimes at 3 a.m.—with your mind spinning on all the things that need to get done the next day?
Do you fail to set boundaries and too often say “yes” with the plan of just working harder?
If someone asks if you had a busy day, do you want to scream, “Of course I had a busy day!”
HHHHMMMHHM…perhaps you are experiencing burnout.
Let’s consider Psalm 131:1 again:
O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.
The core reason for burnout is pride— insecurity from not having lots to do, an inability to say no, or busyness for success. We make choices, and we often decide to work or attain goals (or things) outside the framework of God’s will.
Seeking first His kingdom will quiet your life, not necessarily make it easier with less hard work, but allow His purpose and His strength to bring peace.
How do we relieve stress by following God?
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me (Psalm 131:2, NASB1995).
Have you ever said, “I haven’t taken a vacation in years?” Do you believe that your place of work, family, and church would fall apart without your 60 hours of work each week? Do you daydream about living on a deserted island with a cat?
King David, the author of Psalm 131, is telling you:
Calm down, quiet your soul, just sit with God for a moment, and talk with Him. Cast your anxieties upon him. Don’t leave His presence until you feel better (Psalm 131:2, OGV).
Let’s learn that false hope drives stress. When we hope in anything other than God, the ultimate failure of this hope increases anxiety.
O Israel, hope in the Lord, From this time forth and forever (Psalm 131:3, NASB1995).
An anxiety-free life is taught throughout the Bible.
Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not” (Isaiah 35:4, NASB1995).
Do not worry then, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear for clothing?” for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:31-33, NASB1995).
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7, NASB1995).
One of my life issues is stress and anxiety, with ensuing burnout.
For me, there hasn’t been a single once-for-all curing prayer, but I did memorize Psalm 131 three decades ago. We will always face the temptation of anxiety, but we have a supernatural weapon to keep burnout under control.
I recommend memorizing and regularly meditating on Psalm 131.