Embracing the Crushing and Pressing
Scripture
2 Corinthians 4:8–10 (NLT) “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”
Devotion
Near the end of the sermon came a hard invitation:
“Lord, put me in the crusher… put me in the crushing… put me in the pressing.”
That sounds extreme, but the heart behind it is biblical. Paul said we are “pressed on every side,” and yet in that pressing, the life of Jesus is revealed. The sermon pointed out that when God crushes and presses us, He isn’t trying to destroy us; He’s trying to break off the hardness that life, sin, and pride have added to us.
Crushing doesn’t feel good. It exposes who we really are—our motives, idols, hidden sins, and false securities. But on the other side of the pressing is a sweetness, like oil from an olive or juice from a grape. A person who has been through God’s crushing, and stayed pliable, loves more deeply, gives grace more freely, and reflects Jesus more clearly.
To pray “Lord, put me in the crushing” is to trust His character—that He is good, even when His process is painful.
Reflection
1. Where do you feel “pressed on every side” right now? How might God be using this to soften and shape you?
2. Are you willing to let God show you who you really are—not who you pretend to be?
3. What might “the sweetness on the other side” of your current trial look like?
Prayer
Father,
I don’t naturally want crushing or pressing, but I do want to look like Jesus. Where You see hardness, pride, or self-reliance in me, I give You permission to press and crush what needs to go. Don’t let me become bitter or hard. Make something sweet and Christlike out of this season. In Jesus’ name, amen
2 Corinthians 4:8–10 (NLT) “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”
Devotion
Near the end of the sermon came a hard invitation:
“Lord, put me in the crusher… put me in the crushing… put me in the pressing.”
That sounds extreme, but the heart behind it is biblical. Paul said we are “pressed on every side,” and yet in that pressing, the life of Jesus is revealed. The sermon pointed out that when God crushes and presses us, He isn’t trying to destroy us; He’s trying to break off the hardness that life, sin, and pride have added to us.
Crushing doesn’t feel good. It exposes who we really are—our motives, idols, hidden sins, and false securities. But on the other side of the pressing is a sweetness, like oil from an olive or juice from a grape. A person who has been through God’s crushing, and stayed pliable, loves more deeply, gives grace more freely, and reflects Jesus more clearly.
To pray “Lord, put me in the crushing” is to trust His character—that He is good, even when His process is painful.
Reflection
1. Where do you feel “pressed on every side” right now? How might God be using this to soften and shape you?
2. Are you willing to let God show you who you really are—not who you pretend to be?
3. What might “the sweetness on the other side” of your current trial look like?
Prayer
Father,
I don’t naturally want crushing or pressing, but I do want to look like Jesus. Where You see hardness, pride, or self-reliance in me, I give You permission to press and crush what needs to go. Don’t let me become bitter or hard. Make something sweet and Christlike out of this season. In Jesus’ name, amen