Date: 02-11-25
Preacher: Ps Lorena Tsai
Title: Not to escape, but to cross over
Not to escape, but to cross over
When I checked with Mark, who was leading the worship service this morning, whether he knew the content of the message beforehand, he replied he did not. I did not think it was coincidental that his remarks on the pressures of life was so aligned with the message’s theme. God knew the burden of life we are all undergoing so the message was timely. The timeliness of the message was underscored by the relevance of the biblical references which Ps Lorena used to substantiate her points.
Ps Lorena pointed out that as Christians, although we sometimes indulged in escapism behaviour, we have at our disposal, the power of God to break forth under stress.
She discussed 3 points under her topic and these are:
- Struggling and Transforming in the Face of Pressure
- The Spiritual Path to overcome pressure
- Relying on the Lord to cross over: From "failing to hold on" to "walking out triumphantly"
Under the first point above she used the example of Jacob who was facing tremendous pressures from both his uncle and brother. God sent a ‘man’ to wrestle with him throughout the night and Jacob's ultimate "victory" came when he stopped fighting with physical strength and instead clung to God in his weakness, and this surrender was the key to receiving a blessing.
Under the second point, Ps Lorena quoted Paul’s struggles in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. Paul’s pressures were immense as he spoke of ‘being despair of life itself’. However, we must understand that God's intention is not to "remove the pressure," but to "renew and trust." The pressures of life reveal our limitations and shortcomings and push us before God. At this point Ps Lorena pointed out how important it is to have a calm mind in our struggles. She quoted Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength."
Under the third point, Ps Lorena quoted 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 and 2 Corinthians 10:13 to remind the congregation that God will not let us be tempted beyond our threshold.
In conclusion, she made the point that prayer is not a last resort but a primary response and as Christians we also have our brothers and sisters-in-Christ to support one another in our struggles. Furthermore, the pressures of life help us to build our faith in Him.
