Facing pressure? I know someone who understands, and who can help you!

I know that many persons come to a Monday morning with fear and trepidation. When your todo list is longer than the day, when the expectations placed upon you are heavy, and when you feel that you cannot cope - know that you are not alone!

This is week marks the start of Lent - On Wednesday Christians throughout the world will celebrate the start of Lent (many of them with an Ash Wednesday service that reminds one of one's mortality, and that life is limited and so needs to be lived with a sense of urgency, doing things that bring honour to God).

Lent and Easter are a time of great encouragement for me. I am reminded that the God of the Universe faced struggle just like me, just like us...

In the New Testament the Greek word for struggle and trouble is the world thlipsis (see John 16:33). It is a word that comes from the Oliver presses of the Ancient Near East. It means to be placed under pressure, to be crushed and hard pressed. Of course Christ himself faced just such pressure to win our salvation. That is the one thing that the English word does not capture as well as the Greek word... thlipsis has the intention of producing something good, pure, and wortwhile as a result of the pressure (i.e., olive oil from bitter olives).

So, this week as you face pressure know that you have a God who understands what you are going through. He has suffered himself.

I shall be praying for you. Please pray for me.

Comments

[Steven Jones]

Hi Dion

Your post is yet another reminder of God's perfect timing. I have in fact been feeling rather agitated since I woke up this morning.

Granted, the day started badly with an SMS from my bank indicating that my account was overdrawn. Turns out that I had forgotten to transfer funds from my business account to my personal account in time for the rabid debit orders to spring their monthly attack.

Yet even after I had pressed the appropriate buttons on my PC, enabling my bank manager's faith in my financial integrity to be restored, that gnawing feeling did not go away.

Perhaps it's my growing apprehension at the upcoming candidates screening interview, which takes place next week.

Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that since God put us on this earth to complete a specific number of tasks, I'm so far behind that I'll probably never die!

Or maybe I'm just going through one of those "it is written..." moments right now, despite the wonderful services that I took part in yesterday (the panel's heart-attack moment notwithstanding - see my latest post).

But just as Jesus was ministered to after having to confront the devil in the desert, so I know that God will never leave us nor forsake us.

I find that when you are feeling sorry for yourself, do something for someone else, and God brings healing and comfort to you as well.

So I'll continue to uplift you in my prayers...