According to the American Institute of Stress, “the technical definition of stress is the body’s nonspecific response to any demand – pleasant or unpleasant.” Most people think of stress as a mental or physical strain - something bad. They associate it with physical and mental health problems such as heart disease, stroke, anxiety, and depression. But stress can also be a good thing. Psychologists refer to positive stress as eustress. Many Biblical accounts record what people did under either stress or eustress, giving us insight into God’s wisdom and grace.
The Wisdom of Solomon in a Stressful Situation
In 1 Kings 3, Solomon is faced with a difficult situation: two women and one baby, each woman claiming to be the boy’s mother. King Solomon did not have the benefit of DNA testing, forensic analysis, or psychological assessments. He had to employ the wisdom God had given him to choose correctly, but if he answered incorrectly, the real mother would be devastated, and the son might never meet his real mother. Solomon decided to use pressure to flush out the fake.
“Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” - 1 Kings 3:25
Solomon’s wisdom was this: he knew how the real mother would respond and that the one who had lost her child had nothing to lose. The real mother’s response under extreme stress was to save the life of her infant. “Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, ‘Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.’” The mother whose child had died responded from her own state of strain, revealing the madness of grief. “‘He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.’” (1 Kings 3:26) Solomon used his own stress to think clearly about a mother’s desire to protect her child. This would emerge more strongly than any other longing.
What Does Stress Reveal about Us?
Because extreme duress often requires a quick answer, there is no time to consider. Our authentic thoughts, feelings, and beliefs are revealed, which was a good thing in the mother’s case. She loved her son so much she was willing to lose him if that meant he would live. Whatever our heart is whole with will emerge in how we speak, especially under pressure.
"You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." - Matthew 12:34
This is a reminder to fill ourselves with the Word of God and to spend time with him. When we are focused on Jesus, we know him better and respond as he would. Psalm 1:1-2 informs us:
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
During the early years of his reign, Solomon honored God and was rewarded with great wisdom. Although we often fear the effects of pressure on our ability to reason, the Holy Spirit helps each believer in his time of trouble because God has established us like a fruit tree yielding good fruit.
"A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit." - Matthew 7:17
Coping with Trauma and Impulsive Decisions in the Story of Lot
We respond to difficult situations by trying to either cope with or control them. Lot warned the men who were to marry his daughters about the impending doom of Sodom and Gomorrah, but they brushed off the warning. In the aftermath, “thinking they truly were the last living human beings,” observes Sheila Alewine, the two girls made a terrible choice.
“Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come into us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” - Genesis 19:31-32
A traumatic event will affect perceptions. Melanie Greenberg Ph.D explains: “A reactive amygdala keeps people with PTSD on the alert and ready for quick action when they face a threat, leading them to be more impulsive.” This is why we must carefully refrain from making major decisions immediately following a traumatic event. Lot’s daughters had just seen two cities destroyed and perhaps heard the screams as people were burned to ashes. The smell of burning flesh probably reached them, and the acrid smoke would have stung their eyes.
Meanwhile, their mother had turned back to look and become a pillar of salt, so they were stuck with Lot, who had been willing to trade his daughters’ sexual favors to secure safe passage for the guests who came to warn them about God’s plans. Lot was not someone they could rely on in their distress. He let his daughters ply him with alcohol.
“That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.” - Genesis 19:33
Lot’s way of handling the burden of his situation was to escape into drunkenness, leaving his daughters to process their feelings and questions about the entire event without counsel or comfort, such as a godly man might have provided from the Scripture or through prayer.
The Importance of Patience and Godly Decision-Making Under Stress
In times of high stress, we always have choices to make, which can leave us feeling fatigued and confused. But we can respond reasonably to our fears and concerns when our hearts and minds are no longer racing. The actions of Lot’s daughters exemplify the importance of waiting. Lot’s grandsons would become the nations of Moab and Ammon, Israel’s enemies.
One might wonder what sort of example Lot and his wife had been setting throughout their daughters’ lives. Living in such a debauched society would have added even greater confusion. Paul wrote,
“Bad company corrupts good morals.” - 1 Corinthians 15:33
Now removed from such a corrupt society, Lot's daughters only needed time to think. It is always a miracle when someone from a dysfunctional background, faced with chaos and confusion, makes a wise and God-honoring decision. Yet, God demonstrates his love for us, redeeming the sins we commit under pressure, as he did with Peter.
Finding Faith When Life Takes a Turn
Jesus’ ministry took a direction Peter was not expecting. He wanted the Messiah to be a warrior and believed Jesus’ talk of death was defeatist.
“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” Matthew 16:22
Instead of reassuring Peter or thanking him for his encouragement, Jesus rebuked his disciple. “Get behind me, Satan!” (v.23). “Peter did not fully know what he was saying when he first declared that Jesus is the Messiah”, explained one writer. Jesus declared that he would have to die and be raised from the dead, which confused Peter. In fact, “at first this is unacceptable to Peter; he does not want a Messiah who is anything but a mighty ruler who leads Israel to an earthly victory.”
What happens when our own plans and ideals are overturned, and we see that God has something else in mind? Do we trust the Lord or turn aside? For a while, Peter turned aside. He even denied Jesus three times when put under pressure. (Luke 22) Was Jesus the Messiah? If so, then why was he dying on a cross? If Jesus was not the Christ, then Peter was not prepared to be arrested and crucified next to him.
Christ's Pursuit and Restoration of Peter
By lovingly pursuing Peter after the resurrection, Jesus demonstrates that we are not excluded from his embrace; we are not rejected from the family of God when we stray. Peter’s story is a common one in this sense—Christians often walk away for a little while, deny Christ, or fail to declare him when placed under pressure.
Christ’s resurrection was a miracle on many levels. He defeated death and brought full restoration to sinners who desire to follow him. He came to Peter and told him to “feed my sheep.”
"Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It’s the Lord!' When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore."- John 21:17
Christians often fear that they will lose their salvation if they sin or that they will be saved grudgingly, as though the Lord would keep his promise but without love. Jesus reassured Peter that, although he had denied Jesus when placed under stress, he was forgiven and restored to a relationship with God. Christ’s forgiveness is bigger than we can imagine.
However, a redeemed relationship with the Father is costly because we recede and ask Christ to increase. Jesus told Peter the way he was going to die: “You will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (v.18). Redemption in Jesus replaces worldly stress with a burden for sharing the gospel and glorifying God, but also supplies us with powerful means by which to carry that burden and respond to the pressure of persecution which accompanies our devotion to Christ.
“The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” - Luke 12:12
The Power of Integrity in Ruth's Story
Ruth’s response to the terrible strain of widowhood was to place herself under a different kind of pressure for the right reasons. She left her people to support Naomi, whose own people loved God. God rewarded Ruth’s integrity and courage by redeeming Lot’s daughters’ mistake, choosing Ruth - a Moabite - to become the ancestor of Jesus Christ. The rewards of her integrity give us a mere glimpse of those eternal rewards the Lord has in store for his people. This is not to say that integrity, patience, and focus on Jesus will protect us from stressful situations. But a fruitful spirit helps believers to discern God’s direction, his forgiveness, and his presence. Jesus sweated blood at the thought of his suffering. Stress is a reality for all of us at various points in our lives, but even Jesus prayed to the Father as he faced trial after trial, right to the end. We also are invited to ask for help.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28
Sources:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bring-distress-jesus/
What Is Eustress and Why Is It Good for You? | Psychology Today
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-god-uses-stress-for-our-good-and-his-glory.html
https://www.stress.org/what-is-stress/
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/jesus-rebukes-peter
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