One could say that if anything in the world is going to cause such widespread fear and be incredibly stressful, it is the current time as we deal with a pandemic, political unrest, and economic impacts. Interestingly, fear of pandemic or illness is not really a stress for some. Financial struggle or relationship struggle may be more of a stressor and trigger deep fear and anxiety. We all have our own unique buttons of stress or panic. A simple stress management technique can be the best option whether it’s a ponder moment or a pocket verse.
The most simple stress management technique: a pocket verse
For over a year, I carried this verse on a little piece of cardstock in my pocket. It was part of getting ready for the day along with putting lip balm in my pocket and looking for my keys.
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
Every time I put my hand in my pocket throughout the day, my fingers would brush against this ragged and wrinkled card. Just this slight brush of the fingers would instantly bring this verse to mind without me even looking at it. At the end of the day when I emptied my pockets, it would be wedged in the frame of my bathroom mirror. Now, these words will be ingrained in my head for the rest of my life.
Anytime of stress or struggle, when I don’t know the “why” or the “how” of something, this verse from the Bible always pops into my head. It always gives me a slight shake and a chaser of a thrill to wonder what God is doing behind the scenes. It primes me to be amazed, to be exhilarated by the possibilities. How can it do that while in the midst of the struggle? Because it shows a little peek behind the curtain at some very telling character traits of God.
#1: He Hears You
He is listening and hears you in the still and in the raging roiling stressful torment in your mind. Not just listening, but attuned and interested in what we are thinking. “Show us great and mighty things which we don’t know” that the verse speaks of let’s us know that He is aware of our limitations, experiences, and thoughts already.
#2: The value of relationship
He is listening and knows the sum total of all our experiences, thoughts, and knowledge, He also desires a relationship. A back and forth of dialogue, not just a passive routine or motions detached from the mind. The above verse states an active participation, we are to CALL to Him and He will SHOW us. We all know that we learn deepest by being shown how and doing with involvement. If you remember some of your favorite teachers growing up, they made use of this concept. God wants you to really KNOW it so He won’t just tell you- He will show you.
#3: Mighty things can be very quiet
Have you ever heard of stories where the hero does an amazing act of heroism quietly behind the scenes? It makes you like the hero even more just for the reason that the hero isn’t self-promoting their own heroic acts. Yes, God is certainly capable of performing huge dramatic miracles of awesome wonder and often does. But, have you ever considered that the great and mighty things which you don’t know may be happening all around you silently in someone else’s life through their current struggle?
Maybe the mighty thing that you don’t know is the honing of your own mind that will lead to something that matters in a hundred years multiplied through a multitude of people and decades. I would call that great.
#4: Peace in the Looking
For me, just knowing that God is moving, listening, orchestrating, in control, helps me to relax like a soft blanket wrapped around me. If I practice the art of looking for what He may be doing in this struggle, and I seek and call to Him to show me, I find that I have an upshift in my mind of calm and quiet and downshift of the stress and fear. God specifically states that He does not give us a spirit of fear:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
There may be a time when this particular verse needs to be the little card in my pocket for awhile until it is completely enmeshed into my thinking and autopilot.
Keep stress and worry management simple
Any number of ways to reduce stress and worry can be found online and in self-help books on the shelves. The very plethora of choices is stressful in itself! When we focus on what God says though, it can cut through all the fog and dizzying affects of stress and worry to more simpler management. Zero in on a specific circumstance for the “heroes” of the Bible and how God helped them. Take His promises and carry them with you to remind you that you are not the first or the last to struggle with this. God’s got you and He always has. Keep it simple.
Try It Mikey
Try it, you may like it. Give it a try and let me know if you have a verse that you need to carry in your pocket for awhile. If you need a head start on your own pocket verse, we’ve got you covered. Check out the free pocket verse printable with some great promises from God:
If you need to get yourself in the habit of looking further into God’s Word:
- Treasures for the Christian Woman’s Heart by Renee White
- Rooted and Blooming by Dalyn Weller
- That I May Know Him by Tina Wanamaker
