Is your strength being tested?

If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small. (Proverbs 24:10 NLT)

When you are 'under pressure', what strength do you draw from to refrain from giving into that pressure? We might feel pressure from all life throws our way, but have you ever felt 'spiritual pressure'? It is that type of 'pressure' God is exerting to get us to actually be more pliable in his hands. An artisan who works with clay will tell you it takes a bit of pressure to remove the unwanted air bubbles and clumps from the clay in their hands. Those things actually make the clay object they are creating 'imperfect' so they must be removed in order for the object to have its best form, fulfilling its intended purpose. 

Perhaps you are feeling a bit of 'spiritual pressure' right now. God is dealing with a few unwanted 'bubbles and clumps' in the 'clay of your life'. He is not doing it to hurt you - he is doing it so you can take on your 'best form'. The more God puts us under the pressure to transform us, the more we can resist that pressure or give into it. The more we resist, the more pressure he has to apply. If you have ever observed someone making pottery raise the clump of clay and drop it down again on the potter's wheel, you might not have understood the purpose of that action. It was to 'reform' the clay because it wasn't 'cooperating' as it should in his hands.

Our strength in the form of resistance to what God is doing isn't a good thing, though. We don't want to exert strength 'against' what he is forming within us - we want to find strength 'in' what he is doing! We want to yield to his touch, allowing all the imperfections in our character to be worked out so the 'finished product' is useful, fulfilling the purpose he intends. The more we resist, the more we may feel that 'spiritual pressure' exerted time and time again. Why? Those imperfections are actually hurting us - God just wants the best for our lives.

If the potter just left the clay to dry and then tried to use it, would it fail under pressure? Yes, because it hasn't been fired in the furnace yet. You knew that one was coming, didn't you? The fire is part and parcel with the formation process. One without the other is insufficient. The true strength of what has been perfected on the potter's wheel is observed in what comes out of the furnace. If the bubbles and clumps remained as the object went through the furnace, the object would crack. So, both are important to creating the most beautiful and lasting of creations, aren't they? Would it be any different with our spiritual growth? Just askin...