Pressures, Problems, Pits. M. Hudson

here are some times in life when there is a great urge to throw hands heavenward and scream, "Enough!" 

The small irksome issues, the increasing pressures of life, the mounting problems all seem to be a mountain sliding determinedly towards the "x' on your back. Images of the tortures of by-gone days flicker through the mind; it is easy to picture yourself in the scene as stone after stone was piled on the tormented chest...another one....groan...another one....gasp.... because you too feel each new problem weighing heavy on the heart.

The Bible, however, gives assurance that God does not allow those who have committed to him to face anything beyond their abilities to cope.  Notice, there is no promise of escape from those pressures, problems, or issues.  There is only the promise that the person will be able to handle them.  

While it can appear sometimes that life is one huge pit of despair, there is one insurmountable truth.  It is in the pit where the pressure is put to purpose to produce product; the lump of coal is placed  under tremendous pressure for long and repeated ages in order to see the diamond emerge.  Even then, however, it is not the glossy, faceted marvel gazed at in awe on a satin bed in a jewelry store.  That state is the result of additional pressure, cutting, and shaping.

The reality is to be a person of faith is not to escape the pressures but to see beyond the pressures to the reality of the diamond being formed, polished, or shaped in our soul.  

No 'pass card' to problems is ours but rather a Presence through the process.