April 23 - The big squeeze

“O men of little faith. Do not be anxious then, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be yours as well” - Matthew 6:31-33 RSV

Globally, the world and it's population is going through a time of adversity. Feelings of distress, despair, and darkness press down on us as every newscast and social media site daily report further atrocities in yet another part of the world. From every side pressures are becoming unbearable.

Domestically, for some, life has become the equivalent of living in a pressure cooker, as statutory cut-backs cut back hard and deep. Utility bills are through the roof – that is if you can afford the deposit to get your foot on the property ladder! And so it goes on....a sinking NHS; broken relationships; increasing violence commited by younger and younger children; unemployment...etc...etc. Who would have thought that in the twenty-first century, homelessness, foodbanks and charity shops have become the norm?

Pressure, pressure, pressure, as mental illness, imprisonment and suicide rates continue to rise, and church attendance decreases....don't we know that our only hope is in Christ? Nations will continue to scrabble for superiority, and we, as indivduals, have become more and more self-reliant as the nanny state takes over.

All of this is just the tip of the wider ice-berg – personal relationships is where real pressure can be found! Throughout it all, Jesus says “Don't be afraid....come unto me and I will give you rest”.

One of the Greek terms for tribulation in the New Testament refers to “pressure...like being crushed under a big boulder” - pain, enduring strain.

Charles Swindoll writes: 'This is a description of pain, of enduring strain. It's an illustration of the crush of our times. There's a certain type of pressure that comes with promotions, demotions, unemployment. It includes prosperity and adversity - another kind of pressure that comes with the threat of losing your home – sorrow, gain and loss. There's a pressure that comes from calamity or a wayward child or a runaway mate – handicaps, disease, broken dreams. There's certainly pressure that comes with having too much to do, and not enough time to get it all done, a pressure that accompanies sleepless nights and the press of tomorrow's demanding responsibilities.'

Annie Johnson Flint wrote:

Pressed out of measure and pressed to all length;

Pressed so intently it seems beyond strength.

Pressed in body and pressed in soul;

Pressed in the mind till the dark surges roll;

Pressure by foes, pressure by friends;

Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.

Pressed into loving the staff and the rod;

Pressed into knowing no helper but God.

Two people come to mind who, under pressure placed their trust in the Helper, the Word of God – David and Felix of Nola. David had been captured by the Philistines, and Felix of Nola was escaping his enemies. David's reaction? Implicit trust. Psalm 56:3-4 says: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You, in God whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” Another time, hiding in a cave to escape Saul, David cried out to God to “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in you; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by” - Psalm 57:1

Felix of Nola was also taking refuge in a cave, trusting God to intervene. No sooner had he entered the cave when a spider began to weave it's web over the cave opening. With amazing speed the mouth of the cave was completely sealed off by the web. To all intents and purposes the cave, to the pursuers, looked as though it had not been entered for many weeks. Seeing that, Felix's pursuers went on by. As he stepped out into the sunlight, Felix exclaimed, “Where God is, a spider's web is a wall; where He is not, a wall is but a spider's web”.

'Along the path of life, we also find ourselves in cave-like struggles. Sometimes the things we go through are our own fault. We deserve judgement instead of relief. At other times we are caught in a dark place because of what others have done, or as a result of circumstances beyond our control, or comprehension.

David wanted God's will to be accomplished in his life. Do we? He trusted God to show him the way.through the difficulties - up and over the rugged rocks to a smooth highway.' Do we?

(Annie Johnson Flint, Quoted in “Poems that Preach” John R. Rise)

(Acknowledgements Charles Swindoll, “Perfect Peace)

“Stand Still and Let God Move” - today's music. Click on the picture to listen.