I’m sure we all feel this way at times. But remember 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.”
‘Not’ is the point. We are not crushed, in despair, abandoned, destroyed! Our problem typically is that in the midst of those times, our feelings tend toward feeling crushed, despairing, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. We forget what we have and who we are and what we’ve overcome before. Face it – hard pressed times may come but how do we respond, what is our mindset during these times?
In a recent post, John MacArthur said:
“God is never caught off guard by our suffering and trials. On
the contrary, He’s at work in the midst of all our circumstances,
directing all things for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28).
So rather than running from persecution, we need to look for
what the Lord is accomplishing in the midst of it.”
What a terrific perspective. We all tend to look at our sufferings and trials from our perspective, but if we can take a moment and look at it from the Father’s perspective, we may find a treasure trove of learning. I don’t believe that the actions, if from God, are to tempt us. God tells us He doesn’t do this, but we are tested. We, obviously, are intimately involved in our own situation, but our perspective can shift to finding what the Lord is doing in us for our good as we go through.
Hard pressed is also part of another teaching – Romans 5:3-5a
“…but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces
perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Now hope does not disappoint…”
Our choice is ‘how’ we go through these times since the source can come from a variety of places and people. This isn’t really the point… the point is our growth and subsequent witness. Hard pressed should strengthen us, but this typically only happens when we decide we will learn and apply the learning. We always have a choice as to how we will respond to these times. Saying that ‘it isn’t fair’ or that ‘you don’t deserve this’ may be true, but if you are in the midst of this… it doesn’t help to resolve the hard pressed times.
