Confidence in the Midst of Distress
With an accurate understanding of our heavenly Father, we can walk through stressful circumstances with inner quietness and genuine confidence.
Charles Stanley preaches about the common human instinct to want to escape stressful situations by walking away, but God's truth teaches us to find rest and peace in Him instead of fighting against our circumstances. By being still and knowing God, absorbing His truths, and growing in trust of His sovereignty, goodness, and love, we can navigate through challenges with inner quietness and confidence as His children.
Text
PSALM 46:1-11
"I'm outta here!" Most of us will feel this way at some point in our lives. When stress in daily living becomes unbearable, we want to escape. We may want out of jobs, relationships, or some other difficult situation. We think we can't handle things the way they are because they are much too stressful. So we decide we are walking out. Moving on. Heading for anywhere but where we are.
God has a powerful truth for us to hear. The way to handle stressful situations is to cease fighting against them and instead to be at rest. To the psalmist, this rest meant being still and knowing God. (Psalm 46:10 NIV) Jesus described it as a peacefulness that we will both find and receive as we spend time learning from Him. (Matthew 11:28-30) Our human instinct clamors for us to escape but God calls us to draw near and absorb the truths of Scripture.
Most of all, He wants us to know who He is. As we believe the truth of His sovereignty (1 Chronicles 29:11) and accept both the absolute goodness of His plans (Jeremiah 29:11) and His deep, abiding love for us (Ephesians 3:17-19), we will grow in trust. Then we will find it easier to "be still" and not to respond like the world, which says, "I'm outta here."
Our stress need not become distress. With an accurate understanding of our heavenly Father, we will be able to walk through circumstances with an inner quietness (Galatians 5:22) and genuine confidence. (Hebrews 13:6) This is our privilege as God's children.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Stress
- The Solution of Rest
- Growing in Trust
- Believe the truth of God's sovereignty
- Accept the goodness of God's plans
- Accept God's deep, abiding love
Key Quotes
“I'm outta here!” — Charles Stanley
“To the psalmist, this rest meant being still and knowing God.” — Charles Stanley
“Our human instinct clamors for us to escape but God calls us to draw near and absorb the truths of Scripture.” — Charles Stanley
Application Points
- We should cease fighting against stressful situations and instead be at rest by being still and knowing God.
- Growing in trust requires believing the truth of God's sovereignty, accepting the goodness of His plans, and accepting His deep, abiding love.
- With an accurate understanding of our heavenly Father, we will be able to walk through circumstances with an inner quietness and genuine confidence.