Nobody likes being under pressure, though people often experience it. We may pray for it to ease when, in fact, God’s hand is bringing about something beautiful that could only happen under pressure.
If you feel pressed today, maybe even crushed, these verses remind you that this will be for God’s glory.
“Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.” (Exodus 27 v 20-21)
With just a curtain separating the ark and the lampstand, the instruction is simple: keep the lamps lit.
How? Through clear oil of pressed olives.
Slow that down a moment. Do you see it?
- The light in the house of God came about because ordinary people of God brought the oil from their own groves and presses; pressure was applied first.
- Aaron and his sons, the priests, trimmed the wicks and refilled the lamps in order to keep the light burning.
- The light was not for the daytime but from evening till morning; it was meant for the darkness.
Now think of Jesus.
He went to a garden called Gethsemane; it means ‘oil press’.
Now think of you.
Jesus, who said, “I am the light of the world,” also told His followers, “You are the light of the world.”
Becoming light comes from our own pressing, perhaps from sorrow, pain, disappointment, or simply a hard season of life. The crushing brings the oil that keeps the flame of His presence alive.
So what does that mean for you?
- Our pain doesn’t always make sense to us, but nothing is wasted with God.
- We have a Great High Priest, Jesus, who makes sure that the flame within us never burns out.
- The lamp burned when it was dark. Others benefited from the light. The faith you have learned under pressure may be the very light that helps them find their way in the dark chapter of their own lives.
- More oil was needed every evening for generations, and it still is. We keep coming to Him day by day to be filled afresh with His Spirit.
Don’t resent the press. It is where the oil comes from, and it’s what keeps the light burning through the night.
