Power in the Pressure
Like a pressure cooker, trials apply heat that transforms what is tough into what nourishes.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection from A.B. Simpson invites us to see trials not as obstacles, but as the very means through which God's purposes advance in and through us. The writer points out that after enduring suffering, we often find ourselves valuing life more deeply and using our time more intentionally. These difficult seasons refine our focus. They draw us out of self-concern and press us into greater compassion and service.
Suffering also prepares us to understand others better. When we have passed through our own valleys, we no longer speak lightly about someone else’s burden. Instead, we carry a depth of empathy that only real hardship can birth. The Apostle Paul highlighted this principle when he said, “Death works in us, but life in you.” He recognized that suffering in the believer has an outward effect. It ministers life to others.
The devotional uses the image of a ship’s engine room to illustrate this. The fire that rages below deck is not wasted heat. It is converted into movement. The ship presses forward, not despite the fire, but because of it. In the same way, the trials that burn in the hidden places of our lives produce spiritual propulsion. They move us, not away from God, but toward the purposes of His heart.
True humility, then, is not simply a passive stance. It is choosing to rest under God’s mighty hand, trusting that His timing will exalt us. The Lord allows the weight, but it is never meant to crush. It is meant to draw us closer and ready us for greater compassion, deeper understanding, and faithful usefulness.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, do not resist the weight I allow. Under My hand, there is safety. Under My hand, you are being prepared. You have asked to know Me more. I have drawn you through circumstances where you could no longer depend on yourself. This is My mercy, not My absence. I resist the proud, but I give grace to the humble. You are resting beneath My hand, and that is where your soul is most secure.
In the trials, I have not abandoned you. I have drawn near. These fires are not consuming you. They are refining you. What I allow to die in you, I replace with life that serves others. The pressure is producing endurance. Endurance is producing character. And character is anchoring your hope in Me.
I know the sorrow, and I know the struggle. But I am working in all of it. I am the one who lifts in due time. I will not leave you in the furnace. I will bring you out, radiant and ready to comfort others with the same comfort I gave you.
Remain under My hand, and I will cause My life to flow through you. You are not a victim of affliction. You are a vessel of mercy.
Scripture References: 1 Peter 5:6, 2 Corinthians 4:12, 2 Corinthians 1:3–6, James 1:2–4, Romans 5:3–5, 1 Peter 1:6–7, Psalm 66:10–12, Philippians 1:29, Romans 8:18
Real-Life Analogy
Picture a stovetop pressure cooker. At first glance, it seems intense and unnecessary, especially when the lid locks tight and the heat starts to rise. But inside, something powerful is happening. The high pressure does what a slow simmer cannot. It transforms tough ingredients into tender nourishment far more quickly and thoroughly than we might expect.
In the same way, our trials build pressure. They apply heat in ways we may not welcome. Yet under God's supervision, that pressure is not destructive. It is productive. It creates tenderness. It brings forth maturity.
If you're walking through something heavy today, you can quietly say, “Lord, I trust You to use this pressure to reveal Your life through mine. Tenderize what is hardened. Mature what is unfinished. And produce in me something nourishing for others.” Let that be your confidence today. The lid is not locked to harm you. It is sealed by grace.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I rest beneath Your hand. I know that what You allow, You also redeem. Though the weight feels great at times, I thank You that You are working through it to shape me, anchor me, and ready me for greater fruitfulness.
You have never asked me to be strong on my own. You have given me Your presence, Your Spirit, and Your life within. I am not pressed down, I am being pressed forward. Even in the hidden places, You are forming something that will minister to others. Thank You that this pressure has a purpose, and thank You that I can trust Your hand to lift me in due time.