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How can a person remain calm even when he or she is under pressure, sometimes immense pressure?\u00a0 Perhaps we should ask if it’s even possible to remain calm in this pressure-cooker world we live in?\u00a0 When we view this from the spiritual perspective we can say that it not only is possible, we can even find wonderful examples of it occurring in God’s word.\u00a0 For instance, think about the situation Joseph faced.\u00a0 This young man was deserted by his brothers, considered dead by his father, was removed to a foreign land, and then thrown in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.\u00a0 But through it all, we see a young man who handled the circumstances in a calm, even-tempered manner.\u00a0 How could he do this?\u00a0 A key is found in Genesis 39:21 where we read: “But the Lord was with Joseph…”<\/em>\u00a0 This is a phrase repeated throughout the account detailing Joseph’s life.\u00a0 This man put his full and complete trust in God, regardless of the situation.<\/p>\nHow many of us have faced a man in battle who stood over nine feet tall, an individual who was a seasoned warrior, one who could likely crush our skull with a single blow from his fist?\u00a0 David went up against Goliath, a man who fit that description.\u00a0 Certainly, David’s physical strength was no match for Goliath.\u00a0 How did he display such a calm fearlessness in that situation?\u00a0 The answer is found in I Samuel 17:45-46:\u00a0“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.\u00a0 This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.'”<\/em>\u00a0 David realized that his strength was not enough, but the strength and power of God were more than enough.<\/p>\n The apostle Paul was a prisoner on a ship bound for Rome.\u00a0 A storm overtook the vessel for many days so the people on board had given up all hope of being saved.\u00a0 When everyone had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up, in what appeared to be a perfect state of calmness, and offered some words of encouragement.\u00a0 Notice what he said in Acts 27:22-25: “Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.\u00a0 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’\u00a0 Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”<\/em>\u00a0 Trust and confidence in God provide calmness even in the face of a life-threatening storm.<\/p>\n Before concluding, we should also touch on the necessity of prayer.\u00a0 We read in Philippians 4:6-7:\u00a0“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.\u00a0 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”<\/em>\u00a0 Anxiety can be replaced with a calm peacefulness when we trust God, when we commune with Him in prayer on a regular basis.\u00a0 That undeniably produces a calmness under pressure that we all desire to possess.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Dennis Stackhouse How can a person remain calm even when he or she is under pressure, sometimes immense pressure?\u00a0 Perhaps we should ask if it’s even possible to remain calm in this pressure-cooker world we live in?\u00a0 When we view this from the spiritual perspective we can say that it not only is possible,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[454,1142],"class_list":["post-47798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-peace","tag-stress"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/peer-pressure\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":0},"title":"Peer Pressure (Waldron)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bob Waldron via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, February 24, 2008 Much of God's covenant with Israel of old dealt with human relations. Various and sundry laws pointed out how the Jew was to conduct himself among his peers. One of these admonitions was,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/pressure.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":87695,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/standing-for-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":1},"title":"Standing for Right","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Paul M. Tucker Standing for the right is very demanding of us. It is not easy. It may be very inconvenient. It may even lead to loneliness. On the mountain peak of spiritual experience, it can be a lonely place; we may even find ourselves alone. \"At my first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/alone-1-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89934,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/changes-in-the-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":2},"title":"Changes in the Storm","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Charles Box This lesson requires us to answer the question, \"Exactly what is a miracle?\" The term \"Miracle\" is used far too loosely and frequently in our society. \"A miracle is a divine operation that transcends what is normally perceived as natural law; it cannot be explained upon any\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/stormy-300x188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":62699,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hebrews-encouragement-to-remain-faithful\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":3},"title":"Hebrews: Encouragement to Remain Faithful","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 31, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Hebrews 10:19-25 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book of Hebrews interleaves evidence of the superiority of Christ, His covenant, and His church with encouragement to the brethren to remain faithful. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0After giving evidence that Jesus is God\u2019s son, the writer said - Hebrews 2:1-4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was a faithful\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22234,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-good-in-a-relationship-to-express-our-true-feelings-so-we-can-know-each-other-better\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":4},"title":"Is it good in a relationship to express our true feelings so we can know each other better?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Your advice is really solid. One thing we've decided to do in our relationship is to give each other the freedom to express our true feelings and reaction so we can know each other better. Sometimes things get too bad, and we end up emotionally hurt. But we don't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84083,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/joseph-the-other-father-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":47798,"position":5},"title":"Joseph, The Other Father of Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Perry Hall via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2015 God thinks fathers are so important; He gave Jesus one. 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