July 28 – Under pressure

“You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours.

You know that as soon as the sun rises, pouring down its scorching heat, the flower withers. Its petals wilt and, before you know it, that beautiful face is a barren stem. Well, that's a picture of the "prosperous life." At the very moment everyone is looking on in admiration, it fades away to nothing. Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life. Don't let anyone under pressure to give in to evil say, "God is trying to trip me up." God is impervious to evil, and puts evil in no one's way” - James 1:3-13 MSG

The world feels as though it's going mad, it's like living in a pressure cooker. Nothing feels quite as hot and tight. At home, whenever we expected an influx of visitors, my mother would often use a pressure cooker to help prepare a meal in the quickest time. The results were delicious to eat, but I never really trusted that cooker with it's strange noises and steam as the pressure built up. I used to keep a wary eye on it, fully expecting it to explode at any moment. I looked forward to the end result, but didn't like what it took to get there.

That's the same way I feel about the spiritual pressure cooker. Violence and hatred are rife throughout all levels of society, and pressure is placed upon individuals to conform to what is considered to be society's 'norm'. What has happened to compassion for our fellow man, and Jesus' command to “love your neighbour as yourself”? - Mark 12:31 NLT

It's hard to imagine anything good coming from the enormous stress many of us are living under today. There is a good description of it in Psalm 55: "I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the pressure of the wicked." (Verse2-3) "My heart is in anguish within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me; and horror has overwhelmed me." (Verse 4-5) That about sums it up, doesn't it?

In these times the world is going through, we have to remember that God is making good use of our stress. He knows just how to control the pressure to produce something good. "Cast your burden upon the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never allow the righteous to be shaken." (Psalm 55:22)

No, I'm sure that you too, like me, don't like the pressure....or the sights and sounds of the traumas and cruelty humans are inflicting on each other, but I look forward to the end result....the soon return of Christ. You may be shaking but you won't be shaken. Hang in there!

Acknowledgements: Hannah's Cupboard

Music is “Lord Send Your Angels” LIVE. Click on the picture to listen.