Hard Pressed, Not Forsaken

June 3, 2008

By Randy Mantik

There was a time when I thought I couldn’t have peace in my life unless everything was going my way. But life seems to have a way of perpetually putting a wet blanket over our smoldering happiness. I’ve discovered real joy is far different. I can remain joyful even when everything seems to be hotfooting it in the wrong direction!

Consider this passage from 2 Corinthians 4:8,9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (NIV).

Paul has just finished speaking of our lives being filled with the presence of God. Because of God’s presence we are pressured on the outside, but fortified with sweet peace on the inside. We can be free in spirit with an abundance of deep-flowing joy, even when outward circumstances are striking down hard.

In the context of our faith, life’s pressure is often the very thing that helps to steer us in the direction God would have for us. Challenging and painful circumstances can help us practice patience and develop greater faith. That growing faith can then carry us through trying situations.

Think of an airplane. The force of wind resistance interacts with the wings of an airplane to lift the plane. Our challenges impact our faith head-on, and we soar.

By the way, you don’t have to like the pressure and resistance you face. However, you can like what life’s challenges do to you and for you. Personally, I hate exercise. But I do like its effects on my body. Having joy in hard circumstances is a very similar discipline. God’s joy is so great that, in spite of our circumstances, we can actually sense being carried by the wings of the Spirit of God.

God’s Spirit is there even, or should I say especially, in the tough times. We don’t have to wait for a smoother ride to sense Him. He will not abandon us. He will keep us. No, I can’t promise you it will all get better tomorrow. However, I can assure you the difficulty you are facing today will make you stronger and more self-controlled.

Caleb and I are doing a rock tumbling project. For days, the machine has been churning away in our garage tumbling the rough, common-looking stones we put in it. But when we take those stones out in a few more weeks, they will be smooth. They will be polished. They will look like gemstones. Why? Because they went through the required process. They were tossed around, struck again and again until their rough edges were ground away.

So it is with us. The pressure will remain for a time. But the day will come that the gritty, polishing process will be done. And the final product will be greater than you can imagine. Hold on!

— Randy Mantik is lead pastor at CrossPoint AG in Portage, Wis.