[363 words]
For ages, people have wondered what was on the ocean floor. On August 15, 1934, Otis Barton and William Beebe came closer than ever before. On that day, they descended to a depth of 3,028 feet into the dark ocean, a record that remained unbroken for 15 years.
The way they achieved this was through a spherical deep-sea submersible called a bathysphere. This submersible was made from very thick cast steel. The most amazing part of this journey was when they went down and turned on the lights. What did they see? Fish! These fish were just roaming around as free and careless as ever. How could the fish do this? They simply compensate for the pressure outside by having equal pressure on the inside. These fish did not need thick cast steel to swim around; they were just made that way by God.
In our world, there is an unfair amount of pressure on people. This pressure comes in all forms from almost every angle. Sometimes the pressure of this life is truly enough to break someone. So, how can we handle such pressure? The answer is not to become thick-skinned. It’s not to become cold and unfeeling. The way to handle the pressure of this life is to compensate with the right power on the inside.
Many great figures in Scripture understood this so very well. David said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
The Lord often reassured people as well during times of great pressure. Notice what he told Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Whatever pressures we are facing, know that, as Christians, the power in us is greater than any pressure of life. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Brett Petrillo
Bear Valley church of Christ
Denver, CO