We don’t typically think of Jesus getting stressed out — at least I don’t. The movies and pictures of Jesus I grew up with always showed Jesus calm and serene.

Or was it something else?

Jesus was always sort of staring off into the distance, his unfocused eyes at half-mast, lost in thought, not a care in the world, speaking in hushed, even tones. Frankly (and I know this is offensive but it’s true) he looked a little stoned. Hippie Jesus wandering the countryside with his band of merry men — floating a little bit off the ground as he went.

Honestly, this is not a Jesus I can relate to. If that Jesus asked me to follow him, I’m not sure I would. I’d want to know we were going to do more than just sit around and eat Doritos.

So, while pondering the concept of stress, I came across this verse that really stands in stark contrast to the Jesus meek and mild I was raised with. Jesus says, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!” (Luke 12:49-50).

Jesus actually says, “I’m stressed out!”

From the context, we can figure out that he’s talking about bringing the fire of judgment on the earth, but he has to endure the baptism that is his betrayal and crucifixion first. When Jesus thinks about everything he has to endure, he says causes him distress. The word in Greek means to be surrounded by an enemy, to be pulled in different directions or to be pressed down upon by some external force.

I don’t know about you, but this stressed-out Jesus is way more compelling to me. When he says, “Follow me!” I’m more likely to oblige.

Anyone who admits to being at the end of their rope but insists that they have figured a way out from under the pressure without punching a hole in the wall or saying something they regret or bellying up to the bar during happy hour — that guy’s selling something I need.

How about you? Does a stressed-out Jesus appeal to you more than the even-tempered and sedate(d) figure who walks through the movies we watch every Easter? How is that verse above different from the way you’ve viewed Jesus in the past?

Elijah had a problem. He was a wanted man, so he panicked and ran as far away from his home as he could go. And then he ran a little more. Six weeks later, he was hiding in a cave in Egypt when God came to him.

“What are you doing here?” God asked — not really looking for information as much as giving Elijah the chance to just be honest and maybe to learn something while he’s talking it through out loud.

Though this conversation (which you can read for yourself in 1 Kings 19), it becomes clear to us that Elijah has forgotten all about God’s past faithfulness. He’s forgotten all about the amazing ways in which God has provided for him over the past several years. He’s even forgotten how God has come through on his promises for the people who had lived before him — Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David. God had made outlandish promises, and he’d gone to amazing lengths to see those promises fulfilled.

But Elijah forgot, and, because he forgot, he panicked.

But wait…there’s more! Elijah’s problem wasn’t just that there was some stuff he’d forgotten about. Elijah’s other problem was that there was some stuff he didn’t know about.

God tells him there’s going to be another king. God tells him there’s going to be another prophet. God tells him there are 7,000 others who haven’t sold out to a foreign god and are willing to fight to get the kingdom back on track. God had been at work preparing history for the next chapter.

Elijah didn’t know any of this.

Q: Why do you suppose Elijah assumed God had been inactive?

A: Because Elijah didn’t see any of God’s work going on.

See, we can sometimes assume that, if we don’t see it happening, it’s not happening. If God hasn’t given us the update, there’s no news to report. If God were up to something, we’d know about it.

That’s an arrogant and dangerous assumption. It’s the assumption that Abram & Sarah made. It’s the assumption the Hebrew people made while they were enslaved in Egypt. It’s the assumption they made again while they were wandering around for 40 years — trying to get all the Egypt out of them. It’s the assumption the Pharisees made. It’s the assumption Mary & Martha made while Jesus stayed put and they buried their brother, Lazarus. It’s the assumption the disciples made while Jesus himself was in the tomb.

And it’s the assumption I all too often make when I don’t see God at work in the way or in the timing I want.

What Elijah didn’t know — and what we must remember if we’re to resist the urge to run and hide from our stressful circumstances — is this: God does some of his best work in hidden, unseen ways. In the womb of a teenager. In the heart of a foreign king. In a dark cave carved out of the side of a hill.

Just you wait. His track record is pretty good. The seed is in the ground. It’s just a matter of time now.

Elijah responded to a heightened level of stress over a prolonged period of time the same way some of us do: He ran and hid.

Some folks blow up. Others look for an escape. We pull the curtains closed, turn the cell phone off, stop answering our email, hole up inside under a blanket and sulk — all the while letting God know that we’ve had enough and it might be better if God would just mercifully end this whole thing right now!

What caused Elijah to panic like that?

As best I can figure it, Elijah had two problems: (1) There was some stuff he forgot about; (2) There was some stuff he didn’t know about.

Let’s talk about the first problem today, and we’ll talk about the second problem tomorrow.

Elijah seems to have forgotten all about the three years when God miraculously provided for him during the drought. Birds brought him food. A poor widow and her son allowed him to stay with them. While the rest of the nation was starving, Elijah had enough to eat.

Beyond his immediate life, Elijah also seems to have forgotten all the great things God had done through the years to provide for his people — all the outlandish promises he had made and then kept. Abraham and Sarah having a baby in their old age. Joseph being elevated to second in command in Egypt. The 10 Plagues. The Red Sea. The Walls of Jericho. The sun standing still over Gibeon. Hailstones killing the opposing army on the road from Beth Horon to Azekah. David and Goliath.

God had a track record of doing crazy stuff like that — just to keep his promises.

But Elijah forgot, and, because he forgot, he thought his present was disconnected from his past.

If Elijah could have remembered God’s past faithfulness, he would have been more inclined to trust God’s promised future. But he didn’t. Instead, Elijah forgot.

It’s really easy to chide Elijah for forgetting, but we’re guilty of the same thing, aren’t we? We could all tell stories about times when it seemed as if the well had run dry, but something mysterious and inexplicable happened — a check arrived just in time — a phone call out of the blue — a chance meeting with someone who opened a door or made an introduction. We’ve all had those moments when we are forced to admit, “Only God could have done this.”

But we forget, and, when we forget, it’s easy to panic.

So, how could we lengthen our memory? What are some things we could do to remind us that our present circumstances are connected to God’s past faithfulness?

Last week (before the blog went down) we talked about stress reduction and stress management. It’s pretty obvious that a lot of unnecessary stress is caused by our lack of doing the things we know we ought to do. We overeat. We engage in risky behavior. We make poor financial decisions. We work too much and sleep too little, and all of this causes stress — over and above what we’re able to handle.

But some stress is unavoidable. You have to live indoors. You have to eat. That means you have to work, and you’ll probably end up having to work with some difficult people. Family is tough — even when you’re doing it the right way. Do I even need to bring up finances? It’s hard to stay afloat in today’s economy even if you’ve been fiscally responsible.

So, how do you experience the rest Jesus promises if there’s stress present in your life?

Maybe it comes down to a matter of perspective.

Take Elijah, for example. He lived during the reign of the most wicked king the nation of Israel had ever known (and that’s saying something!). And it was Elijah’s job to confront this king.

And you thought your job was rough!

Elijah told the king that because of his wickedness it wouldn’t rain for three years. During that time, God miraculously provided for Elijah’s needs — first with birds bringing him sandwiches and then through the faith of a widow and her son. Eventually, God sent Elijah back for a winner-take-all confrontation on Mt. Carmel.

Elijah took on 850 pagan prophets and the false gods they worshiped. After some prophetic trash-talking, Elijah calmly stepped forward and called down fire from the sky. After that, he had all 850 of the false prophets killed, and then he outran a horse 12 miles back down the mountain to the palace.

Elijah saw some powerful signs of God’s protection and deliverance.

And yet….

Jezebel threatened to kill him, and Elijah gets scared and runs away! He runs as far as he can go, and then he goes a little farther — out into the middle of nowhere. Then he collapses and says, “I’ve had enough, Lord, kill me now!”

God deals with Elijah like you’d deal with a cranky toddler. He gives him a drink and a snack and puts him down for a nap.

Elijah wakes up and runs another 40 days down to Mt. Sinai — in the Sinai Peninsula — near Egypt.

God asks, “Hey, Elijah, Prophet of Israel, what are you doing here — in Egypt?”

Still in the midst of his own personal pity party, Elijah responds, “I’m the only one left. I served you as best as I could, but now I’m as good as dead. Why don’t you do the honors?”

God says, “Watch this.”

Elijah stays put in the cave while all sorts of commotion starts up outside. An earthquake. A fire. A tornado. Then God whispers — which gets Elijah’s attention. I think God’s saying, “See what I can do when I get ready? Anytime I want, I can do all this. So, what are you doing here?”

Elijah thinks God is still looking for information — like maybe God didn’t hear him the first time. So, he repeats himself — word-for-word — probably a little louder this time to make sure God gets it.

God says, “Get up and go home. There’s a new king I want you to meet.”

You mean Ahab won’t be king forever?

“No, and there’s a new prophet I want you to meet, too.”

You mean I won’t be the prophet forever?”

“No, I was here before you, and I’ll be here after you’re gone. I’ve been at work getting things ready for the next chapter. Just because you don’t see it happening, doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. Oh, and by the way, there are still 7,000 folks who love me. You’re not alone.”

Strange: Elijah and God look at the exact same situation. God says, “I’ve got these people right where I want them.” Elijah says, “I’m all alone and as good as dead.” God wasn’t panicked; Elijah was.

Elijah freaks out and runs away because he doesn’t see things from God’s perspective.

Maybe these are the days of Elijah after all.

Stress can make us do crazy things. And doing crazy things can cause us even more stress, which, in turn, causes us to do more crazy things.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

If we would only live our lives within the parameters drawn by the Bible, the amount of stress we experience on a daily basis would not be eliminated, but it would be significantly reduced. Dramatically. Immediately. Reduced.

But what do we do with the stress that remains? There will always be some stress, right? You’ve got to live indoors, and your house may or may not maintain its value. You’ve got to work and live and deal with people — and some of those people are going to be difficult people. You can’t just wish them away to the cornfield. Your spouse won’t always meet your expectations, and your kids won’t always do what you want them to do. That all will cause you some stress, and that stress won’t just go away when you decide to bring your life in line with what God wants.

So, what do you do?

Well, the Bible does give us hope. In 1 Peter 5:7, we read this: “Cast all your anxiety on [God], because he cares for you.”

Three things:

(1) The word for “you” is singular. It’s not saying that God cares for all of you; God cares for you individually. He cares for you and for me and for the guy next door — he cares about each of us.

(2) The word for “anxiety” is always used in the New Testament to refer to the unavoidable cares of life. So, we’re on the right track with this verse. This is going to help us deal with the stress in our lives — not by reducing stress but by managing it!

(3) The word for “cast” is actually a participle (should probably be translated “casting”) that is linked to the verb translated “humble yourself” in the previous verse. Now, there are a couple of ways this could work. One popular way of translating this is to say that “casting” is how you “humble yourself”. But — this is a little complicated but it’s worth it to stick with me — the word “humble yourself” is always in the New Testament linked to the concept of obedience (see Philippians 2:8).

So, if “humble yourself” means “obey God”, how is “casting” related? Well, it appears that once you’ve done the first one, you’re allowed to do the second one. In other words, you can only “cast” after you “humble/obey”.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit: I do not like this. I want to cast first. I don’t want there to be any sort of prerequisite for casting. I want God to just take it all, so I don’t have to do anything.

But that’s not how God set it up. If I start by casting, God gently comes alongside and asks me, “Have you brought your life within the parameters I’ve drawn for you? If not, go do that first, then come back and we can talk about this other stuff.”

Humility and obedience — that’s the cost of casting.

Sunday morning at Shannon Oaks I began a new series looking at what the Bible has to say about stress — something so ubiquitous I don’t even need to define it or give you examples of what it looks like. It’s strange if you think about it: we have so many time-saving and labor-saving devices — things which were supposed to make life so much easier and less stressful — and yet we are perhaps the most stressed out generation ever.

Don’t get me wrong: some stress is okay. Some stress is even beneficial. In a few minutes, I’m going to go to the gym and put the muscles of my upper body under a little pressure. This will enable them to be torn down and rebuilt stronger and (hopefully) a little bit larger than they were before. There are some good chemicals that don’t drip in your brain unless you experience a little bit of stress. Healthy things happen in your circulatory system, in your nervous system, in your kidneys and liver when you experience stress that don’t happen otherwise.

But your body has its limits. Too much stress over a prolonged period of time can cause your body to redline — like a car that revs its engine too high for too long. And that’s when things go bad.

Obviously, we all know by now the physically negative impact of carrying too much stress for too long. Hypertension. Heart disease. Stroke. High blood pressure. Lower back pain. Some doctors say that most of the things they treat people for are either caused by stress or are certainly made worse by stress. Your physical body is simply not designed to take on too much pressure for a prolonged period of time.

But long before your heart gives out or your nervous system shuts down, long before stress takes its toll physically, it has already taken its toll in other ways: emotionally, spiritually, relationally. The simple truth is this: It is extremely difficult to experience intimacy with someone who is stressed out all the time.

Sunday morning we looked at one of the simplest forms of stress reduction I could think of. It’s deceptively simple because it’s one of those things that’s so easy to understand but so hard to actually do. It is this: If you would just live your life within the parameters God has set for you, you would immediately reduce the amount of stress in your life. Immediately. Dramatically.

Think, for example, of what the Bible says about families. It tells parents not to frustrate their children. It tells children to honor their parents. It tells husbands to love their wives, and it tells wives to respect their husbands (this doesn’t mean being a doormat, but we can talk more about that later). If we’d just do those things, do you realize how much stress we’d immediately peel away from our lives?

What are some other simple instructions found in the Bible that would immediately and dramatically reduce the amount of stress in our lives?

This week, as we think about the passion of Jesus, I’ll be posting some excerpts from my last book, The 52 Greatest Stories of the Bible.

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The whole week was full to overflowing, pregnant with meaning and import. It would get even heavier as it moved toward the grand finale: the brooding tune of Thursday evening’s meal, the somber sound of devastating loss that was that Friday afternoon, the silent and uncertain pause that was Saturday, the eternally resonating major chord of victory that was Sunday morning.

But before He got there, it appears that Jesus took a day off. Nothing is recorded about His whereabouts or activities on Wednesday. Perhaps He was making plans with a cryptic man who appeared to Peter and John carrying a water jug. Perhaps He was watching Judas wrestle with the demons that would prompt him to do his dastardly deed. Perhaps He spent the day praying and gathering His thoughts.

Regardless, it’s instructive that Jesus chose to do nothing with one of His last days that the biblical writers deemed noteworthy. Because here we see another patten in Jesus’ life: He observed a rhythm of work and rest. He plunged Himself headlong into ministry, working from sun up to sundown, healing, teaching, feeding and touching. And then He withdrew from the crowds, carving out time for rest and solitude. Then once more into the breach He charged, only to retreat again when He felt it was time for a little R&R.

You can’t really call the life He led “balanced.” It’s not like He had a Day-Timer or a Blackberry and scheduled every hour of His days: Let’s see, I spent an hour alone today, so that means I can spend an hour with people. He just seems to have felt it, like a rhythm.

There are some personality types who are particularly prone to working all the time. If there’s work to be done — one person who hasn’t heard the good news about Jesus, or someone in the hospital who hasn’t been visited — these people are on the go. They say things like, “I can rest when I’m with the Lord” or “I’d rather burn out than rust out.” Either way, you’re out, so I’m not sure why either is an acceptable option.

For those of us who are more likely to work, work, work, it’s important to see that Jesus, at this point, had only a few dozen hours left on this earth. And He chose to rest. He chose to do nothing of interest. He took a day off.

One of the reasons why taking a day off is so important is that it forces you to remember that everything isn’t dependent upon you. Like Jesus, you have a Father in heaven who is constantly at work. The assurance of this is what makes rest possible.

Jesus could have been uptight and fussy, gathering His disciples for late-night cram sessions all week long. But He knew that the Helper would come and do His work in His time. Jesus would do what He could and leave the rest up to His Father and the Holy Spirit.

Now if that’s the way Jesus lived, do you suppose you could try to get some rest this weekend?