Good morning. Years ago, my son Mike and I went through training to be scuba divers. We did some diving and had a lot of fun. Before they let you fill up a scuba tank with air you need to show them that you are certified, that you have passed the tests to ensure that you know what you are doing and will be safe. You see, diving can be dangerous if you don’t follow the rules.
The problem is, the deeper you go under the water the more the pressure increases. We didn’t dive below 100 feet, but even at that depth there are procedures to follow to make sure that you don’t get the bends when returning to the surface, or nitrogen narcosis when diving at depth. Greater depth means greater danger because of the increased pressure involved.
When explorers went looking for the wreck of the Titanic, they didn’t scuba dive. The depths they would need to dive to would have meant that they would have been crushed. The pressure against your body under the water doubles every 33 feet, and the Titanic came to rest at over 13,000 feet. Splat! They used a small submarine that was built for such extreme pressure, anything else would have been catastrophic.
For many Christians, worship is enjoyed on Sunday mornings. Fellowship and lessons are enjoyed on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Other church gatherings are enjoyed as the opportunities arise. But then we wander out into the world around us and get back to the grind of daily life.
At times there is pressure at work, pressure at home, pressure that comes in any number of activities and endeavors.
When you scuba dive, the first reminder that you have pressure to deal with is an aching in your ears. Hopefully, you can clear your ears, relieve the pain, and continue your dive. Sometimes when we feel the pressures of the world around us, we don’t realize the problem until it begins to crush us.
1 John 4:4 we are reminded that we have a helper who is always near: You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
This truth was also shared by Jesus in John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
When the pressure is increasing, remember that your Lord is with you. If you should ever feel as though you are being crushed by the world and circumstances, remember that He is greater than the world and has already won the victory!
Vern