BBD 09.01.21 Hard-Pressed - Part 2 (Classic)

#1 · September 1, 2021, 10:30 am

Quote from Forum Archives on September 1, 2021, 10:30 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2003

The Burning Bush Devotional

09 September 2021

Hard-Pressed – Part 2

We are
hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; persecuted, but nor forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always
carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to
death for Jesus‘ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
mortal flesh. - 2 Corinthians 4:8-11.

John
Opp was sleeping in a CSX rail car on a bed of lime rock gravel when he had a
rude awakening. He was awakened when more of the lime rock gravel was poured
into the train car and Opp was buried up to his neck in the gravel. Rail
workers heard Opp screaming and called for help to free him. Tom Francis, a spokesman
for the Jacksonville Fire-Rescue said, “He seems to be OK … in the sense that there were no
visible injuries; no compound fractures.” Opp, who is 24
years old, told police that he had been forced to try riding the rails home to
Minnesota after being robbed in West Palm Beach, Florida.

John
Opp knows what it is like to be hard-pressed on every side. It was not a
pleasant experience as evidenced by Opp’s screaming and flailing about. The
apostle Paul knew all about being hard-pressed as well and very possibly you
may know what it is like too. A fact of life is that at some point everyone
will experience some problems. Job shared, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1).” Things have not changed much since the time of Job. John Opp most
likely would testify to that.

There
are several ways we can face the pressure of life. The way many try to handle
pressure is by “screaming” and “flailing” about.
It may result in someone rescuing you but most likely it will not be a
long-term solution. Another approach is that of the apostle Paul’s. Paul
realized that the pressure of life was only temporary, and he also saw and
understood an amazing thing. What Paul could see and understood was that the
more pressure he was under the more of Christ that was evident in his life. The
weaker Paul became physically the stronger he became spiritually as the Lord
manifested Himself in Paul’s life (John
14:21).

What
hope do you have? Who will help you in your time of trouble? Who will sustain
you when the pressure is becoming stronger and stronger? The writer of Hebrews
says, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave
you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear. What can man do to me?’” We must
look beyond this world and remember that just as our Lord Jesus was victorious
and rose again - so will we who know Him as our Savior. We may be hard-pressed
but through the great sacrifice of our Lord we will never be destroyed.

So, the
next time you are tempted to start screaming and flailing about remember that
your Lord is with you and He will never ever forsake you.

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for comfort and
peace for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and healing for the
wounded. Please pray for the Americans and others left behind in Afghanistan. May
they all look to the Lord for help….

Please pray for the people
of Afghanistan and the people of Haiti. Pray that America would turn back to
God. Please pray for protection of our troops especially in Afghanistan and
help for Americans and those who are fearing for their lives there in that
place. May God help them all!!

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; and Shonda
Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the virus
to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be healed and
for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us through this
pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2003

The Burning Bush Devotional

09 September 2021

Hard-Pressed – Part 2

We are
hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in
despair; persecuted, but nor forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed - always
carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to
death for Jesus‘ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our
mortal flesh. - 2 Corinthians 4:8-11.

John
Opp was sleeping in a CSX rail car on a bed of lime rock gravel when he had a
rude awakening. He was awakened when more of the lime rock gravel was poured
into the train car and Opp was buried up to his neck in the gravel. Rail
workers heard Opp screaming and called for help to free him. Tom Francis, a spokesman
for the Jacksonville Fire-Rescue said, “He seems to be OK … in the sense that there were no
visible injuries; no compound fractures.” Opp, who is 24
years old, told police that he had been forced to try riding the rails home to
Minnesota after being robbed in West Palm Beach, Florida.

John
Opp knows what it is like to be hard-pressed on every side. It was not a
pleasant experience as evidenced by Opp’s screaming and flailing about. The
apostle Paul knew all about being hard-pressed as well and very possibly you
may know what it is like too. A fact of life is that at some point everyone
will experience some problems. Job shared, “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1).” Things have not changed much since the time of Job. John Opp most
likely would testify to that.

There
are several ways we can face the pressure of life. The way many try to handle
pressure is by “screaming” and “flailing” about.
It may result in someone rescuing you but most likely it will not be a
long-term solution. Another approach is that of the apostle Paul’s. Paul
realized that the pressure of life was only temporary, and he also saw and
understood an amazing thing. What Paul could see and understood was that the
more pressure he was under the more of Christ that was evident in his life. The
weaker Paul became physically the stronger he became spiritually as the Lord
manifested Himself in Paul’s life (John
14:21).

What
hope do you have? Who will help you in your time of trouble? Who will sustain
you when the pressure is becoming stronger and stronger? The writer of Hebrews
says, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave
you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not
fear. What can man do to me?’” We must
look beyond this world and remember that just as our Lord Jesus was victorious
and rose again - so will we who know Him as our Savior. We may be hard-pressed
but through the great sacrifice of our Lord we will never be destroyed.

So, the
next time you are tempted to start screaming and flailing about remember that
your Lord is with you and He will never ever forsake you.

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for comfort and
peace for those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and healing for the
wounded. Please pray for the Americans and others left behind in Afghanistan. May
they all look to the Lord for help….

Please pray for the people
of Afghanistan and the people of Haiti. Pray that America would turn back to
God. Please pray for protection of our troops especially in Afghanistan and
help for Americans and those who are fearing for their lives there in that
place. May God help them all!!

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; and Shonda
Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the virus
to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be healed and
for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us through this
pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org