It’s Finally Friday…and I’m Pastor James St. John.
How are you under pressure?
I tend to think that I handle pressure well, until I get in a drive-thru with my family. Before we even pull into the line for the drive-thru, I remind everyone that they need to have made up their mind and told me what they want before we hear those introductory words, “Welcome to __________, order when you are ready.”
After that, the pressure begins to build, doesn’t it…at least, it does for me. AND, it never fails, there are still decisions to be made among my littles. Bless their hearts. The longer it takes, the more pressure I feel. I hate making people wait on me for anything. In this case, the order taker is waiting, the cars behind me are waiting, I’m waiting…there’s just too much waiting. More often than not, I’m getting perturbed and ordering the kids, “Make up your mind!”
Obviously, this is a rather inane example. I’m silly for letting the pressure of the drive thru aggravate me and disturb my peace. With the Lord’s help, I am doing better…really, I am.
Under pressure…
We all live there, at some level. There are seasons of life that lead to extreme pressure upon us. How do we handle it? How should we handle it?
The scriptures give us some insight here, because how we handle the pressure of life is a testimony of our trust in God, or lack thereof. There’s a scripture that comes to mind here, found in Isaiah 26. It’s part of a song of victory that reflects a sure trust in God among the surrounding pressures of life.
3 Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace,
Isaiah 26:3-4
in peace because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord God
you have an everlasting rock.
The image here is pretty clear. Peace (Shalom) of mind comes to those who have firmly planted their faith in God. Their trust is unwavering. They have done the work of maintaining their faith, in the good times and the bad, recognizing their one foundation, imagined here as that “everlasting rock” that will not be moved. Just think about that image for a moment. We are surrounded by reminders of how fragile even the rocks are. We see how the land is carved out by the wind and the water. Here, however, is a reminder that the God we serve is not moved or carved by the wind and rain of circumstances, but is that everlasting rock on which we can stand firm.
Peace (Shalom) and trust are forever intertwined. It is interesting to me how the steadfast mind, firm in purpose and in trust is really a reflection of the everlasting rock, the Lord God. That reflection is not about ability, but opportunity. We should not doubt the power of God, our everlasting rock, to keep us in peace as we trust in Him. It is that consistent trust, firm in our purpose, that continues to be a reminder to those in our circle of influence that God is worthy of trust and that He alone is our hope for perfect peace.