[243 words]
The USS Thresher was a nuclear submarine that was designed to go to great depths due to its great strength. The steel bulkheads were built to withstand great pressure from tons of sea water. But, on April 9, 1963, it went too deep during routine deep-diving tests, and was subsequently crushed into little pieces like a plastic model, whose wreckage was spread over an area of 7000 miles. The pressure was just too great for the ship to handle.
Yet, astonishingly, there are fish that live even deeper in the sea than the mighty submarine was able to go. How do those fish survive? From a scientific standpoint, they have ‘pressure’ on the inside that’s equal to the water pressure on the outside.
How will a Christian survive the outside pressures oflife with all of its trials and temptations? By having equal ‘pressure,’ or equal force, on the inside. God is the only one who can provide that as we allow His Spirit and His will to transform our lives, from the inside out!
In this regard, I am reminded of Paul’s comforting assertion in 1 Cor. 10:13, “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” In this passage, we see God exerting His influence in a way that cancels out worldly pressure. Are you relying on Him to see you through?
Jesse Wagner
S. Green St. church of Christ
Glasgow, KY