In the past eighteen months, many of us have fought through trials and endured to the benefit of our hope and character. Yet the storm has weathered on longer than we imagined and we have come to the end of our own rope. Now, as we’re trying to rebuild, we find ourselves seemingly without the resources to do so. Let this song remind us that God sustains and holds us fast, even when our own strength has run out.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
Lately, I have felt stretched to my very limits and this passage reminds me:
We are not pressed to the point of being crushed.
Winemakers refine grapes through several stages before they can be made into wine. Crushing and pressing grapes are different processes and winemakers must be careful to press the grapes without crushing the fragile seeds inside. Just how a good winemaker knows how much pressure to apply to yield the best juice, God will not allow us to be crushed.
We are not pressed without a purpose.
One of the inexplicable laws of the natural world is that death yields life. An acorn is pressed down in the dark earth and cracks open before it sprouts into a mighty oak. Jesus himself says that a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to yield a harvest. When we face trials, we are experiencing a small part of Jesus’ death and suffering so that we can join him in the life that comes from it. We see the resurrection played out in our lives and bodies. We are pressed to release fragrant juice that God will use.
Prayer
What difficulties are you facing in your life right now?
Thank God for his protection and purpose in all trials, even before you can see the result.
Ask God for faith to believe that you are being pressed to yield a sweet product.
Ask God to reveal how these trials are releasing something fragrant in your life.
Finally, thank God again that you can share in Jesus’ resurrection life.
09 Nov 2021
