When
I call, answer me,
O
God of my righteousness:
in
pressure You have enlarged me;
be
gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
Psalm
4:1
For
the most part, spiritual growth and maturity
occur
in the middle of pressure.
I am
recognizing the need once again
to
submit to the pressure in my life
and
allow God to enlarge me in the midst of it.
There
are two kinds of pressures working together:
the
pressure being directly applied to me
and
pressure involving those that I love.
I
have to understand that God has allowed both.
I am
good at crying out for Him to release the pressure;
I am
not as good at asking Him to use it to change me.
It
really is about being conformed into His image.
God
knows what it takes to work
maturity
and Christ-likeness into me.
Pressure
is a gift. It helps me grow up.
It
causes me to be enlarged, transformed.
I
can talk negatively about it,
run
away from it or embrace it.
Don’t
run from tests and hardships.
Consider
it a sheer gift when they come friends.
Your
faith will blossom under pressure
and
teach you true patience as you endure.
True
patience equips you to complete the journey
and
cross the finish line—
mature,
complete, and wanting nothing.
James
1:2-4
In
pressure You have enlarged me;
be
gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
Lord,
have mercy.
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