Finding Purpose Under Pressure

I’ve been learning from Pastor Jerry for over 25 years and one thing he’s always taught us is that God made us for pressure. Relationship with the Father isn’t rainbows and unicorns…no, it’s sometimes difficult and convicting. We may feel stressed or alone, but we often don’t know what’s inside us or what we’re capable of until we are squeezed under pressure. This is not conceding to the “God will never give you more than you can handle” theory, because if that were true, there would be no need for Him in your life, and He’ll never give you a life that makes Him unnecessary. On the contrary, God created us to handle pressure, not to the point at which we implode, but to the point that we see our only hope is to seek and trust Him.

Look at the blacksmith; he has a piece of cold, hard steel, but it is unusable in this state. However, when he places it in the fire, it becomes malleable and can be formed into something new, something with purpose. Do you feel like you’re in the fiery furnace with situations in your life? God may be heating you up so He can mold you into the person He created you to be. Rise to the pressure...cowards seek release from the pressure, the courageous pray for strength. Don’t let the pressure come between you and God, but rather draw closer to Him.

If God can cause pressure in the earth to create a diamond, or pressures in an oyster to create a pearl, how much more can He use the pressure in your life to create something beautiful? Be patient…it’s a process, but take comfort in Philippians 1:6 (AMP) “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”