Squashed!
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.
I love the videos on the Hydraulic Press Channel on Facebook! There is something very satisfying about watching a container of Skittles pressed until a rainbow of stuff comes squeezing out of the slots of the press. In the videos you can hear the joy of the man and his wife as they squash stuff that shouldn’t be squashed. Light bulbs? Squash ‘em! A sledge hammer head? Squash it! Very few things, if any, can’t be destroyed under the pressure of the mighty hydraulic press.
The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be squashed, “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die.”
I’m sure all of us can relate to Paul here. The pressures of this life weigh down on us, trying to squash us until we feel like death is right around the corner. I know I have felt this way. There were times when I thought death would be preferable to the pressure and pain.
But there is a way out!
So often when we feel these pressures our first reaction is to do whatever we can to “fix the problem.” Yeah, how’s that working out for you, Sparky? If you’re like me, not very well.
Paul’s answer, and one I have leaned into, is to stop relying on ourselves and rely totally on God. That means taking your hands off of the problem, relinquishing your worries, and letting God take care of it.`
It ain’t easy, but it is necessary. You see, our “trying to help” just get in the way of God working. If I hand you a book and firmly grasp one corner of it, I severely limit how much you can do with it. But if I place the book in your hands and take my grubby mitts off of it, you are free to do what you like with it. You may do things with that book that are totally different than I would have done with it. That’s fine, it’s your book, do what you want with it.
We need to treat the pressures and troubles of our lives the same way. Hand all of them to God, then take our clingy, controlling hands off of them. Let God have full control, knowing His ways may be different from ours, but they are infinitely better!
Now excuse me, I just found a cool video of a Santa being crushed, and I can’t wait to watch the fat man to get what’s coming to him…