NO PRESSURE, ONLY PEACE

My friend,

There are times in our lives when we experience a great deal of pressure and tensions, noises around us, and others pressuring us, and we are unsure of how to respond or handle them. God’s heart is to give us so much rest from all these pressures by taking it on Himself and leading us through quiet and still waters. We see that in Psalm 23:2, “He [The Shepherd] makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,” Despite hearing so many people pressurizing us, God says that He is going to transform our hearts and the way we are led. It is going to be quiet and still as it will lead us into success.

When people are anxious about a cricket match, they wonder, will we actually win or if our batsmen will perform well or will our bowlers be going to perform well? And so on. Then we hear a name being announced. Everyone's hearts instantly become quiet when Dhoni enters the field. Coolly directs his squad, sets up the field, gives them instructions, and plays brilliantly and everyone is aware that Dhoni will guide them to victory in the cricket match. He will take care of it and battle to the very end and win for us.

That’s how we will feel when Jesus steps into our lives and goes before us, preparing everything for us. Each day He is going to prepare our classes, jobs, workplace, new doors of opportunity and everything is going to be prepared. Even our conversations are going to be prepared. And we will say how much favor we have received from the Lord and how quietly and beautifully He is leading us. Yes! Even in times of trouble, we are going to see it.

How does God lead us beside quiet waters?

1. He gives us faith: Pressure to excel in life, exams, placements, in finances may be overwhelming. We worry so much about what is going to happen, worrying because of the things that might drastically happen to change our lives but in the midst of these, God has promised to raise us up to lead us beside quiet waters by giving us great faith to believe in Him.

How does this belief come? It comes only when we decide to keep on hearing the words of Jesus from the Bible, messages, songs or from his voice speaking into our hearts or from doing the things that God has asked us to do. If we keep on engaging in these, our faith will be made strong in Him, and we are assured that God is with us. We can feel Him working in us and speaking to us. As Psalm 112:7 says, ‘They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.’

2. He gives us freedom from pressures: We might have so much expectations to do well in our lives, to take care of our families saying, ‘if only I get my degree or if only I get a job or once I take care of my family and so on’. Our families may pressure us, expecting us to act a certain way or tell us what to do every moment of our lives. It might make us feel so much pressure that there is no freedom for us to choose what is best for us, like choosing our career or choosing how we want to show ourselves or brand ourselves to be.

We might feel all this pressure to be a certain way but don’t circumvent that pressure my friend. Give the responsibility to the Lord to lead you. Because John 14:26 says, ‘But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to.’

Let Him start to teach you how to behave, what to choose and how to go forward. Focus solely on hearing His voice, and to do His will and He will carry the pressure that comes from all the directions on Himself. He will not allow it to press you down. You will have peace even amid the pressures around you because you are doing what the ultimate person (Jesus) in your life desires. So, be led by Jesus beside quiet waters and all other pressures will be subdued.

With much prayers,

Samuel Dhinakaran