Handling Stress

"...we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Think about the times we don't believe we can handle any more stress. The pressure seems overwhelming and we cry, "Time out! I can't take any more!"

God responds, "Trust me. You will not be destroyed. I know your pressure points. I know how much stress you can take. I know how I designed you."

Of course He knows how much we can take. After all He is our Creator, the one who bent down by the river and fashioned us with His hands. He's the one who knit us together in the depths of our mother's womb, the one who is called the Potter.

He knows the exact temperature needed in the kiln to create the perfect clay vessel. He knows how hot the fire must be to separate the dross from the silver and gold. He knows how much pressure a diamond or emerald must withstand in order for it to come forth solid and brilliant. He knows how long the irritant must sit in an oyster before it becomes a pearl.

Our Father knows exactly how much we can take. He knows because He designed us. With that realization we are able to trust Him and smile at the future, no matter how hard life is today.

Additional Verses:

Malachi 3:3, "He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver..." (NLT)

2 Corinthians 4:7-9, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed..." (KJV)   

Thank you so much for this post... I needed it! His Word is truly uplifting.

Ephesians 2:10 continues on to say that we were not only created "in Christ Jesus" but were created so for a purpose!!!

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Not only does our Creator know us and know exactly what we can handle in this world, He also created us to DO things. GOOD things. Sometimes when we are at our wits end, we can't see the GOOD that can come out of our circumstance.

This verse is powerful because it says that God created me to do specific "good works". I can't just sit back on the sidelines of Christian life. I gotta be there. Ready to respond when He calls!

THAT is sooooooooooo exciting to me!

Thanks for revving me up today, Norma Jean!

I would just like to share a kinda lengthy story that I received one day on the verse Malachi 3:3 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver"

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That wee, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment to long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy...when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

That is beautiful.  Thanks for sharing the story, Deb. 

It doesn't matter how hot the heat is turned up, HE is in control of the situation.  HE is there with HIS eye on every trial that we go through.  HE will not give us more than we can handle.  HE knows exactly when to deliver us from the fire as to not let us destroy ourselves. 

The Potter has his hand on the clay.  Molding.  Pressing.  Removing the impurities.  As the clay is sculpted, the impurities and tiny grains of sand is raised to the surface.  If the impurities are left alone, then the vessel will implode on itself when it is placed in the kiln when the heat is applied.

God gave HIS best through HIS son.  HE can only expect us to be the best (to the best of our abilities through HIS grace).

Some very powerful lessons here! I am glad to be coming out of that flame where I can see much more clearly! Amen!