Dealing with Pressure

No matter who we are, what we have or where we live we all face pressure. It is the great equalizer. It may come as the result of bad news, a severed friendship, difficult prognosis or a situation in which there is no immediate answer. It is described by some as being in “hot water.” A woman complained to her father about how difficult her life had become. "What can I do about it?" she asked. He said, "I will tell you, but first I need to show you something." He took her into the kitchen and set three pots of water to boiling. He put carrots in the first pan, eggs in the second, and tea bags in the third. After the water had boiled, he asked his daughter to examine the contents of each pot. He had her cut the carrots, peel the egg, taste the tea. She asked her father what this meant. He said, "Each of these teaches something about facing pressure and adversity. The carrot went into the boiling water hard but came out soft and weak. The egg went in fragile but came out hardened. The tea turned the water into something better." He then asked his daughter, "When you find yourself in hot water, which will you be? Will it make you weak, hardened, or will you turn adversity into triumph?" For me, the answer lies in what I focus upon and where I place my trust and hope during times where I am conflicted, in hot water and under pressure. Have you heard some unfriendly footsteps in your life recently? Are you under enormous stress right now? Have you just received some difficult news? Understand that God is a refuge-providing God. He delights in that role. He only asks that you would avail yourself of the refuge that He provides. Without His comfort, care and strength being applied to your life you cannot come out of the pressure and “hot water” a better person. Sailors know what safe harbor feels like when they have been in violent seas. Psalm 46:1 says, "God is a refuge." He is a temporary shelter from the forces or realities that are pressing in upon you and wearing you down. God can provide you with a protected environment, in which you can rest and secure a plan your next move. Psalm 23: 3, 5 says, “He restores my soul. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…”(NIV) One of the most beautiful pictures of God’s heart is found in Psalm 91:4. "He will shelter you under his wings." What a picture. Have you ever seen little chicks hopping around chirping, pecking, doing chick stuff? All of a sudden, the chicks and the mother hen all become aware that there's a predator in the area. The mother hen lifts both wings simultaneously, and within just a few seconds all the baby chicks disappear under them. They hide there. They're sheltered there. They regroup there. Eventually they have to crawl out to face the real world, but for a time there's nothing quite like being sheltered under wings. This is the heart, very character and essence of God to provide a kind of hiding place for us, under his wings. Psalm 9:9 spells it out clearly. It says all who are oppressed may come to God, and He is a refuge for them in their time of trouble. Throughout the Psalms, there is invitation by God himself to come under his wings. Who needs a refuge? Oppressed people, troubled people, weary people do. Grieving and worried people do. Disappointed and heart-broken people do. Lonely people do. The first move is yours. It's a big one, and it's a hard one. It goes against the grain of many of us who like to consider ourselves independent and self-sufficient and non-religious. It is the move from independence to dependence on God. God calls out to you and desires a relationship with you and to provide a place of refuge for you. Christianity never promises that adversity will be removed from your life if you trust Christ. It just says that there will be provisions made for you to be able to walk a day at a time. His grace will be sufficient for you. (this was adapted from my article in the Lompoc Record - October 28, 2005)