Pressed

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

It is doubtful that many could have predicted the current state of our nation and the world. Division and lawlessness, antisemitism, the defining of male and female being controversial, international unrest, and moral failures within the church. It is easy to become overwhelmed and feel pressed on every side when you focus on all that is going on.

Genesis 1:2 tells us, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The Hebrew word for “formless” is “tôû,” which means “a place of confusion and chaos.” But the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, was hovering over the chaos and confusion. God is saying, ‘you can focus on the swirling chaos, or you can focus on me, but you can’t do both!’ Not to ignore the troubles that surround us, but to choose what we will focus on and be anchored to.

“We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” (Hebrews 6:18-19). The effectiveness of an anchor is not in the anchor itself but in the strength of what it is anchored to. Hope and confidence are an important part of our faith walk, but the real key is that it leads us right to the presence of God, where we are anchored to him! An anchor does not prevent the storms of life from blowing but provides the security of knowing we may be pressed, perplexed, and pursued, but we will never be crushed, abandoned, or defeated.

The finest property of an olive is only released when it is pressed. The result is a high-quality, fragrant, flavorful oil that is useful for everything from cooking to conditioning leather, polishing wood, quieting a squeaky door, or soothing dry skin. But pressing is first required. James 1:3-4 states, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” When we allow the Lord to work through the pressing, the result is a life that reflects His goodness and is lacking in nothing.

Jesus knew this pressing all too well. When Jesus left his final Passover meal, he took Peter, James, and John and went to pray. But like everything in the life of Jesus, he was intentional about where he picked to pray. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was “crushed with grief to the point of death” (Mark 14:34) and where he had “sweat like drops of blood.” (Luke 22:44). This place, Gethsemane, was at the foot of the Mount of Olives, and its name literally means “oil press.”

Whether it is current world and national events or personal struggles with work, finances, or family, the stress and strain of navigating life is real and can be painful. But the good news is God is our “very present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1). We may not always see how the pieces fit, but we can trust the heart of the One who sees the full picture. When you choose to give God glory and praise through the toughest times of being pressed, Satan has no power over you.

Rest in this truth: your unfinished chapters are safe in the hands of the One who makes all things beautiful in His perfect time. Until then, let the pressing produce His beautiful fragrance to the world.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Psalms 43:5 NASB Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalms 62:5-8 NASB My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

Isaiah 12:2 NASB Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

Psalms 146:5-6 NLT But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They are like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Romans 8:35-37 NLT Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

James 1:2-4 NIV Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

1 Peter 4:12-14 NIV Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Psalms 56:2-4 NLT I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?

Romans 5:3-5 NLT We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.