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April 20, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n Find Some Rest From Your Stress Today<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey will be like a tree planted by the water\u2026\u201d Jeremiah 17:8 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n On a scale of \u201cpeaceful spring meadow\u201d to \u201croaring dumpster fire,\u201d how are your current stress levels?<\/p>\n I\u2019m definitely somewhere in the middle, fueled by anxiety and too much caffeine. I haven\u2019t exercised or even looked at a vegetable in weeks.<\/p>\n Call it control issues, perfectionism, hustle culture, or fill in the blank with other life pressures \u2026 but my body, mind, and spirit are waving plenty of red flags. I need to pause. Breathe. Reset. Find calm in the middle of the storm.<\/p>\n I need to find some rest from my stress today.<\/p>\n Or as Jeremiah 17:8 says, I need to \u201cbe 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.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So how do we become like trees by a river, even when we\u2019re feeling a little shriveled and brown? By tending to our health holistically in at least three areas:<\/p>\n Our spirits are nourished by God\u2019s Spirit. We can connect to Him through spiritual practices like turning off our phones to sit in silence and solitude; laying down our to-do lists for a day of Sabbath; soaking up Scripture; and talking to our loving, accessible God through prayer.<\/p>\n Not sure what to pray? Try T.A.C.O.S. \u2014 thanksgiving, adoration, confession, others, and self. Tell God what you\u2019re grateful for, praise Him for His character, confess your sins and struggles, pray for others in your life and world, and lift up your personal requests.<\/p>\n My body is always the first thing I neglect in times of stress. But 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says our bodies are God\u2019s temple, and we\u2019re called to be good stewards. That might mean swapping Netflix for a walk, doing some de-stressing exercises, or practicing breathing techniques. Let’s choose nourishment over neglect.<\/p>\n What we tell ourselves in times of stress makes the difference between thriving and just surviving. So let\u2019s get curious about what we\u2019re thinking. Whether it\u2019s journaling or verbally processing with a friend, consider a habit of \u201cdaily debriefing\u201d as you ask yourself:<\/p>\n What\u00a0<\/em>untrue thoughts were loudest in my mind today?<\/em> Today let\u2019s rest from our stress and take care of ourselves in spirit, body, and mind. It\u2019ll make the difference between feeling like a shriveled-up shrub or a tree God has planted by a river.<\/p>\n Jesus, thank\u00a0<\/em>You for creating our spirits, bodies, and minds. Help us to tend to our holistic health so we can be like trees planted by a river that don\u2019t wither in times of stress. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Some days it feels like life is asking more of you than you have to give. You\u2019re trying to stay steady, trying to trust God, trying to keep moving forward \u2014 but underneath it all, you feel like you\u2019re falling apart. That\u2019s exactly why we\u2019re excited to announce our newest study in the First 5 app, Mark: Trusting King Jesus as the One Who Sees You, Saves You, and Never Lets Go.<\/em><\/strong> In this study, you\u2019ll encounter Jesus in real moments with real people \u2014 stepping into pain, uncertainty, and need with compassion, power, and purpose. And as you walk through Mark, you\u2019ll be reminded of something your heart may desperately need to hear: You don\u2019t have to hold everything together \u2014 because the King holds you.<\/strong> If you\u2019d like to go deeper as we study together, you can get the Mark study guide now in the Proverbs 31 Bookstore<\/strong>, which includes expanded teaching, reflection questions, and guided prayer to help you process what God is teaching you. We can\u2019t wait to open God\u2019s Word with you!<\/p>\n Find out more about Meghan Mellinger here!<\/p>\n Philippians 4:6-7, \u201cDo not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n God says we have a choice: to hold on to our stress and anxiety or trade it for His peace. All we have to do is talk to Him \u2014 pray. What do you need to surrender, petition for, and thank God for today? We’d love to pray with you in the comments!<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Meghan Mellinger. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries April 20, 2026 Find Some Rest From Your Stress TodayMEGHAN MELLINGER Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201cThey will be like a tree planted by the water\u2026\u201d Jeremiah 17:8 (NIV) On a scale of \u201cpeaceful spring meadow\u201d to \u201croaring dumpster fire,\u201d how are your current stress levels? I\u2019m definitely somewhere in the middle, fueled by anxiety and too<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[5916,86,269,268,1235,270,871,5562,181],"class_list":{"0":"post-27415","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-april","9":"tag-daily","10":"tag-devotional","11":"tag-encouragement","12":"tag-find","13":"tag-proverbs","14":"tag-rest","15":"tag-stress","16":"tag-today"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
MEGHAN MELLINGER<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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What truths from God counter th<\/em>ose thoughts?<\/em>
What are my most dominant emotions today?\u00a0<\/em>
What are the roots of those emotions?<\/em>
What can I let go of before I sleep?<\/em>
What promise from God can I rest in tonight?<\/em><\/p>\nOUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
ENGAGE<\/h4>\n
FOR DEEPER STUDY<\/h4>\n
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"