PressureCooker.......

Have a read through Psalm 86 again… some of you were saying how you felt David was saying nice things to God so that God would help him…I suppose that’s just where I need to be aware there’s something dodgy going on when those people in our group say something nice about me… what do you want?!?!
Think about it, do you only ever say nice things to your friends about them so that they will pay for your kebab/lend you their phone/hang out with you etc? You do? Think about the times when, say like this week, we talked about exam stress. Your friend is stressed out, but you know they can do the exam, they just need some encouragement. Because you care about them, you say nice things to them. Or they encourage you and you tell them how much you appreciate them…
Have you ever, like David, just said nice things about God (praised God) just because you appreciate who he is, and what he has done for you? Or do you just feel like you’re asking God for another favour, you feel bad about it all the time, so you’re going to butter him up first? As if! God doesn’t have a low self-esteem problem that we need to praise him, otherwise he’ll get depressed! Not like us! In fact, when we praise God, it even lifts our self-esteem, because we remember that he loves us, and that he’s there for us – even when we feel alone. Maybe we can learn to count our blessings more, and praise God more, and ask Him more for help – instead of getting hung up about asking God for things and not being in control or independent. Think about it – God is so HUGE, and we’re tiny… we’re really making life difficult for ourselves, if we try to fight all our battles our way instead of asking God to guide us!

Let’s ask ourselves question 12 from the Psalm 86 session again and pray for God to help us with whatever answer we come up with: In what areas of your life do you find it most difficult to admit that you need to rely on God?


So… that leads us to our “pressure session” this week – we focused on exam pressure, just because it’s something all of us can relate to in some way or another… we looked at Luke 2:41-52 and found that Jesus grew in a balanced way as a young man: Look at verse 52 again: 'Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, in favour with God and in favour with men.'
- In wisdom – intellectually;
- In stature – physically;
- In favour with God – spiritually;
- In favour with people -- socially.
We shared about our attitudes towards different aspects of our lives. I asked you to think about whether or not you have a balanced and healthy attitude to all four of these aspects. Even though it may feel like it, life isn’t just about passing exams… just as it isn’t just about anything else that you feel under a lot of pressure with right now. Those things might be very important, but they are not the “be-all and end-all” of your life. Most importantly, God sees and understands what you are going through – talk to him! You can also talk to us or email or ask us to pray for you too.

Now…let’s finish this yabber yabber with what I promised you I’d do: I’m going to put Psalm 23 up and you guys can add your comments under this blog about what you think about this Psalm. Read it through and think about what it says to you – add your "backchats" below to encourage one another as we go through the week…

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the valley of
the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.