Stress: Peace amid Pressure

Resources for Changing Lives

by David A. Powlison

Are you overwhelmed by stress? On edge? Pressured to achieve? Spinning into free fall? What is the "noise" going on inside you? Or are you quiet inside?

Here David Powlison invites you to look at Psalm 131 to learn how to quiet your soul. "Psalm 131 gives us intimate access to the inner life of someone who has learned composure," Powlison writes. "This person is quiet on the inside because he has learned the only true and lasting peace."

Psalm 131 is not about unruffled detachment or stoic indifference. It is not about having an easygoing personality or low expectations. It is about learning composure through a relationship with Jesus Christ. His presence in our lives is the only thing strong enough to overpower stress. We can say with the psalmist, "Surely I have composed and quieted my soul."

Genres: Christian, Counselling, Nonfiction, Faith

32 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

David Powlison, MDiv, PhD, (1949–2019) was a teacher, counselor, and the executive director of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF). He wrote many books and minibooks, including Speaking Truth in Love, Seeing with New Eyes, Good and Angry, Making All Things New, God's Grace in Your Suffering, Safe and Sound, and Take Heart. David was also the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling.

Reviews

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great!!! Powlison walks through Psalm 131 to help us manage stress and the Lord’s plans for our lives! So goo!

[Natasha Burling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended! I never thought such a small and simple book could be so profound and impactful!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful (but not as helpful as I expected) brief study of Ps 131, showing how to replace disquiet, busyness, obsession, stress, sense of failure, despair, anxiety, regret, fear, worry, irritability, and hopelessness with composure, quiet, and peace.

Notes
Deliverance from Noise
Internal "noise" (disquiet) can result from pride; seeing yourself as independent and autonomous. It can also result from haughtiness: being opinionated, judging and belittling, disrespecting, being unmerciful, envying, hating, grumbling, criticizing.

Self-belittling tendencies ("low self-esteem", self-pity, self-hatred, timidity, fears of failure and rejection) are expressions of pride (pride failing, intimidated, despairing). Even with battered pride, you can still look down on others.

When you attempt to control things beyond you (abilities, opportunities, others' attitudes and choices, health, success), this can lead to despair, rage, anxiety, suspicion, manipulation, obsession. Instead, pursue what you're called to pursue in Bible.

The Process of Peace
Humility doesn't come by doing penance, beating yourself up, resolving to do better; those can all be done while still proud. Humility comes by being loved by Jesus through Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:4), repenting, having genuine faith, obeying.

Study hymn "Be Still, My Soul" by Katarina von Schlegel.

Remember God's favor, control, faithfulness, friendship, and be patient when suffering.

Trust God amid your uncertainties.

When saddened by loss, remember that Jesus has given you Himself.

Focus on enduring, eternal hope and joy (2 Cor 4:17).

The Reason for Peace
When Jesus is your hope, you replace pride with humility of faith, haughtiness with dependency of hope, attempts to control uncertainties with certainties of trusting God.

Study Ps 130, which shows how to hope in God.

Personalizing Psalm 131
Identify ladders to nowhere set up by pride
• Achievement (goals, status, ideal life, etc.)
• Acquisition (possessions, security, etc.)
• Appetite (desire for ease, control, superiority, etc.)
• Avoidance (avoiding poverty, rejection, suffering, people, etc.)

Get to know Jesus. He destroys idols and pride, gives life, peace, joy, transformation, humility, composure (Jn 17:3).

[CJ Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful explication and application of Psalm 131, especially good for those stressors caused by the sins the Psalm deals with. (This does fall short of a full account of stress, though.) Favorite section was on quieting the soul, least favorite section was the series of questions meant to help identify pride, which were vague enough so that one could find pride everywhere or nowhere.

Overall, a great place to begin dealing with stress.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short, but at the same time very helpful and beneficial.

[Carol Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Psalm 131. A good one!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great exposition of Psalm 131. Very applicable.

[Cory Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

These booklets are at their best when they follow this pattern of rooting themselves in a text and walking through it.

[Katherine]

He knows how to pack so much thought-provoking stuff into something so small. I appreciate his wisdom and insight.

[Chad Grindstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shirt but really good little booklet. Powlison uses Psalm 131 as the template and does so quite well.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a counseling booklet that’s part of the series published by Presbyterian and Reformed called “Resources for Changing Lives.” I thought this work is a great resource for Pastors to assign as a reading assignment for someone they are counseling on the topic of stress. I read through this short work for my own edification and also alongside another brother at church.
In essence this booklet is a look at Psalm 131. I thought the author did a good job breaking down the outline of this Psalm which is the outline of the book. Thus the booklet is divided into three main parts, with part one describing the result of result of true inner peace looks like, the second part being the process of peace and the third part is the reason for peace. Towards the end the booklet has a section titled “Personalizing Psalm 131” that has pastoral questions that gears towards shepherding the heart of the readers. This is where the author drives the application home.
Overall enjoyable read and edifying. It might not be the definitive work on stress like the way some of other biblical counseling book has managed to pack a huge punch despite its’ small size, but it is edifying nevertheless.