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Last year my family went to California to spend Christmas at my mother's house. One morning my step father decided to unpack, and try out a new pressure cooker that my mom had purchased from
QVC. My mom seemed to have a deep fear in her eyes when he suggested it. She began telling us about when she was a little girl, how she saw her grandmother's pressure cooker explode because it had not been secured properly. My mother still had those vivid memories in her mind from that disaster, and she didn't want to see the same thing happen in her new house. We were all wondering why mom even bought the pressure cooker in the first place if she was so afraid of it. But she did indeed buy it, and now she was going to have to face her fear of it. She and my step father spent several hours reading instructions, and manuals. They tinkered with every part of the machine for what seemed a lifetime. By the time they actually got ready to put food in it, two meals had already passed by. But they finally got it put together and started cooking. I had been listening all day to my mother's stories of how dangerous this appliance could be if every detail was not attended to just right. I had never seen a pressure cooker before, so I was anxious to see one in action. So when they finally put the food in it, closed the lid and secured it, I was ready to see the show that would follow. I expected it to wobble from side to side, or dance and bounce on the kitchen counter a little bit. I just knew it would make some intense gurgling noises and let us know that it was really building up a lot of pressure. But you know what happened? Nothing happened! That glorified crock pot just sat on the kitchen counter as quietly as it did before they turned it on. I thought to myself, this thing is a dud! There's nothing happening. But when the time came to release the pressure valve and open it up, after following all the directions to the letter of the law in the owner's manual, I was shocked at how the aroma of the food spilled out into the kitchen and began to spread through the house. I expected the uncooked meat and vegetables to look just like they had when Mom put them in earlier.

As I was reminiscing about that event, it reminded me that our lives sometimes feel just like that pressure cooker. And if we are not secured just right, we can let the whole world know all about the pressure that is building up inside us. We can complain, wiggle and squirm, gripe and fuss about anything and everything, to any and everyone who sees us. I'm sure that we have all known people in our own lives that when the pressure was really on, they fell apart or exploded. When that happens, it's not just the one person that is damaged or destroyed, but many of the people close to them will be affected by the fact that they have blown apart. And the damage can be far reaching.

But if we keep ourselves secured in the Word of God, and fastened down tightly with daily prayer and praise, then it doesn't matter how much pressure builds up in our lives. We are not going to explode. When the time is right, God Himself will unfasten the binding things in our life. If we don't get impatient along the way and try to loose things ourselves, but wait for Him to do it, when He does open us up to reveal what He has placed within us, there will be a sweet aroma that will overwhelm everyone around you. This all reminds me about how important praise is, in our daily walk with the Lord. Our victory is won by what we say and do when the pressure is on. No matter what kind of victory you are looking for in your life, you won't ever see it until you learn to continually let His praise be in your mouth. I know that I have been guilty of believing and trusting God only to a certain point. Then when I really felt the pressure building up, I would say that I need to let off some steam. I have been guilty of single handedly destroying everything that God was building inside me. I would get angry at God, and people, when things would happen exactly the opposite of the way I was praying that they would. And every time I let off steam by doubting, becoming silent in my worship, or avoiding God's word, I would always come to the conclusion, that if I wanted anything from God at all, I was going to have to do it His way. My next question has always been, "how long will it take?" And I can say that I have finally found the answer to that question. It's just going to take as long as it takes! I'm not ever going to see the victories in my life that He has in mind, as long as I'm behaving in a way that keeps letting off the steam. I must return to His word. I must speak faith over fear. And I must keep His praise continually in my mouth.

Perhaps a song you've been working on isn't coming together like you expected it to do. Or maybe your career is not taking you to the place you thought it would. Perhaps when it seems like everything is going to work out for you, unexpected pressure that you think is unrelated to your goals, suddenly gets added to your life. If you feel like your hands are tied and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, then my advice to you is to start acting like that pressure cooker on my mom's kitchen counter. Let the pressure build. Don't try to let off the steam yourself. There is a pressure valve that God will release when the time is right. We already know that His word said He won't put more on us than we can take. You might feel like exploding from what He does allow, but we know that it's not His will to destroy us. He has a good plan for all of us. Everyone of us!

Put a smile on your face, and a song of praise in your mouth. Talk about how good God is while the pressure is on. Pour your heart out to Him in prayer. Read His word. At an appointed time the pressure will be released. God will loosen every hinge and lock on your life to reveal what He's been preparing inside of you. And when He does, no one will be able to deny the touch of the Master's hand on your life.

Until next time, keep on writing!

Daryl Williams
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net

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