Grace Upon Grace

Hard Pressed

Psalm 118:5 says, When I was hard pressed, I cried to the Lord.  The Lord answered me and brought me into a spacious place.

This psalm was written after the nation of Israel came out of seventy years of captivity in Babylon.  What does it mean?

Being Hard Pressed and Olive Presses

I’ve been studying ancient olive presses.  The olives are pressed three times to ensure that even the pulp is fully pulverized.  To my amazement, the word Gethsemane in Hebrew means olive press.  Gethsemane where Jesus withdrew to pray.  Gethsemane is also where Jesus felt the weight of our sins upon Himself.  He was hard pressed.

What is your response when the pressures of life overwhelm you?  The psalmist in Psalm 118 says, When I was hard pressed, I cried to the Lord.

God Sets Us in a Spacious Place

God responds in an amazing way.  He brings us to a large and spacious place, with elbow room and freedom.

When hard pressed, we often feel trapped—like we can’t escape the situation.  We are hemmed in and distressed by the weight of our surroundings.

Yet God… He hears our cries.  He lifts us from the pressure and confinement and sets us in a place where there is wiggle-room.  God sets us in a large, spacious area, where we can find safety, peace, and rest.

I need to memorize and claim Psalm 118:5 for my husband’s health.  He is hard pressed with pain.  Migraine squeezes our marriage.  In spite of our circumstances, I cry out to the Lord.  

Lord Jesus, I know you see our situation.  I trust in you.  Hear my cries for Steve and set him in a spacious place, where he has freedom to move and victory over migraine and chronic pain.  Amen.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you feel hard pressed right now?  Explain.
2. Cry out to the Lord.  He hears your cries and sees your situation.
3. Look for ways that the Lord is giving you a spacious place.