The 7 Experiment: Theology of Stress: Angorology

My wife has been going through a Bible Study called The 7 Experiment by Jen Hatmaker which has really engaged many of the ladies of my church.  The next part of this particular study is all about stress.  What does the Bible actually say about stress?  Principles of Scripture should be a key for us in any subject we tackle in the Christian faith.  Our perspectives and attitudes should be informed by Scripture and then we need to align ourselves with it where we differ from God.

THEOLOGY OF STRESS (Angorology or Anxietology)

Stress comes from people.

Stress comes from circumstances both in your control and out of your control.

Stress comes from expectations of self, unmet expectations, and unrealistic expectations.

Stress comes from not having what you think you need.

Stress comes from the sympathetic nervous system. (helpful… I know)

Stress comes from ______________________.

I think if you are alive and below 80 years old stress is a part of your life.  I say below 80 because once I reach 80 years old, who the heck cares?  I’m gonna do what I want, eat what I want, and say what I want.  What are they going to do… really?  By the time someone is 80, they have earned the right not to be stressed… that’s my theory anyway.  But I digress.

Stress is a part of life.  The 7 Experiment deals with stress in the last chapter.  This is another one of those chapters (2 of the 7) that Kelly and I did not really talk to one another about.  I know a little about the chapter, but not much.  I know in the chapter, that stopping and praying during the day was the antidote, or at least one of them, to the abundance of stress in today’s society.  I remember this because Kelly and I spoke about monks and the Benedictine method of prayer… I think that fits in the chapter somewhere.  I think there is also an emphasis on Sabbath.   

So, what does the Bible say?  Angorology is something all of us should want to understand.  You can look up key words such as: stress (2x), worry(ies)(ing)(ed) (22x), anxiety (6x), anxious(ly) (6x), alarmed (13x), hardship(s) (23x), strain(ing) (5x), hassle (0x).

As I was looking at the Scriptures, I have decided to ignore some of the more popular verses such as Matthew 6:25-34 and focus on other passages that provide the same exact Truth for us.  Scripture is always unified in its message for us. 

Psalm 94:18-19 “When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me.  ¹⁹ When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.”

Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Ecclesiastes 2:22-26 “What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?  ²³ All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.  ²⁴ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  ²⁶ To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  ⁸ He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Luke 10:40-42 “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"  ⁴¹ "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things,  ⁴² but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

As I look at the totality of the verses above, I learn this about stress:

“Stress is a normal part of life (Ecclesiastes 2, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 17) and we must turn to God in our stress (Psalm 94, 1 Peter 5) and seek what is best (Luke 10).”

I suppose as I look at this statement, I realize that stress is not like media, waste, food, clothing, etc in the rest of the 7 Experiment Study.  Stress is something that happens to you.  Yes you can bring it on yourself, but stress and anxiety often comes because life blows up in your face. 

As I look at the statement above… 2 questions come to mind.

#1 How do I “turn to God” in stress?

#2 What is “best?”

First, the turning to God in stress is easy to write about and all together most difficult to put into practice.  The way you turn to God (in any situation) is really the same.  Prayer is part of turning to Him and asking Him to fill you with His Spirit, David called it “your consolation” in Psalm 94.  This is the part where God supernaturally gives you peace, discernment, the ability to cope, and the ability to think when you absolutely cannot.  Realize that in prayer, you are talking to God, but you also hush and wait to hear His voice in your heart.  Reading Scripture is another part of turning to Him.  God’s Word is dynamic, living, active, pervasive, stimulating, and soul-cutting and will give you the strength and support you need.  It is already in His Word and available to us.  We just have to read it.  Patience is also part of turning to God.  If we get ourselves in a pickle or have a stressful relationship, we must wait to see what God’s answer is in getting out of the stress or perhaps managing it better.  Like I said, easily written… difficult to do.

If I think about the chapter from the 7 Experiment, the suggestion of stopping 5 times a day to offer prayers is an excellent suggestion.  That gives your whole day a foundation of talking and listening to God Almighty.  This practice is giving you an opportunity to rest in God and cast all cares on Him.  It is a spiritual boost 5 times a day, peace flowing in your life 5 times a day, or a divine complaint session 5 times a day.  Great suggestion for dealing with stress.

Second, the “best” that God has for us is a life lived in His will.  This means that when you are getting out of stressful situations, sinning to do it is not the answer.  The “best” that God has for us is that we learn so that when stress comes again we are able to handle it better through Him.  The “best” that God has for us is relying on Him and perhaps avoiding the stress and anxiety in the first place.

So, what is a proper Angorology?  I would say that stress for the Christian person is always filtered through God who enables us to deal with it, shows us ways out of it, and grows us to deal with future stress. 

I hope that helps!

Troy Borst

Associate Minister