Walking with Jesus
Pressed, But Still Following
Pastor Calvin Cook
August 13, 2026 — Day 26 of 40
Scripture:
“We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” — 2 Corinthians 4:8–9
There are mornings when you wake up already feeling the weight of everything that needs your attention. Decisions need to be made. People need answers. Situations need resolved. There are things we want to see happen, things we desperately want God to change, and prayers we have prayed over and over again. It feels like we are pressing 10 pounds into a container only meant to hold one pound. A clear representation of what pressed in from every side means.
The first truth to consider and know. Most all of this pressing or pressure is not from God! This heavy load we sometimes feel as if we are carrying has not been placed on us by God.
The Apostle Paul knew something about carrying a heavy load.
Paul left what was being pressed in and over him. A hint might be to seriously look at the pressure the religious leaders had put on him to end the movement of Jesus. Instead of completing that deceptive plan, Jesus met him where he was, spoke to him, directed him, and called him to the mission of God of sharing the Gospel. In that, Paul answered the call placed on his life, caring deeply for the churches. He faced opposition, disagreements, persecution, imprisonment, physical suffering and uncertainty. Paul wrote: “We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed.” (check out today’s scripture.)
We understand “hard pressed.” Don’t we?
There are times when it feels as though everything is pressing in at once. And when that happens, my natural response is to start telling God what needs to happen.
And so we pray: “Lord, fix this.” “Lord, change that.” “Lord, open this door.” “Lord, close that one.” “Lord, make this situation work out the way I believe it should.” These prayers leave little room for God to work according to God’s will and purpose not only for our life but for all. Paul knew this, whether on a boat, in a prison cell, being bit by a snake, or sitting with close allies in safe surroundings. Paul knew deeply and stived with all his life because of the change that was brought into his life, that it was God’s way not his.
Lately I keep being reminded of something in my walk with Jesus: I need to stop telling God what I want God to do and start asking what God wants to do through me.
That changes the way I pray.
Instead of, “God, here is my plan. Please bless it,” the prayer becomes, “Holy Spirit, lead me.” (Read that again)
Instead of asking God to arrange everything according to what I think should happen, I need to surrender enough to ask, “Lord, what are You doing here, and how do You want to use me?” I echo that statement and prayer to the church, to Pastors, to church leaders, to all people everywhere.
That is not always an easy prayer.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit leads us in a direction we weren’t expecting. Sometimes God doesn’t remove the pressure. Sometimes He doesn’t immediately answer the question. Sometimes He doesn’t change the other person or fix the situation the way we imagined.
Paul wasn’t delivered from every difficult circumstance. He was hard pressed, but he discovered that being pressed was not the same as being crushed. He was perplexed, but he didn’t give up.
Why?
Because his confidence wasn’t in understanding everything that was happening. His confidence was in the One he was following. Maybe that’s where I need to be this morning.
I don’t need to have every answer.
I don’t need to solve every problem.
I don’t even need God to do everything the way I think He should.
I need to follow Jesus.
I need to listen for the Holy Spirit. I need to stay in the Word. I need to pray with open hands instead of clenched fists. And I need to be willing for God to accomplish His purposes through me—even when His way looks different from mine.
There may be pressure on every side today.
There may be decisions I don’t know how to make.
There may be circumstances I desperately want God to change.
But perhaps my first prayer shouldn’t be, “God, what are You going to do about this?”
Maybe it should be: “God, what do You want to do through me in this?”
And then comes the decision that must be made before all the others: Jesus, wherever You lead, I will follow.
Prayer : Lord Jesus, I confess that sometimes I spend more time telling You what I think You should do than listening for what You are asking of me. When I am hard pressed, help me not to be controlled by the pressure around me. Holy Spirit, lead me. Show me where You are working and what You desire to do through me. Give me the courage to surrender my plans, listen for Your voice, and follow wherever You lead. I may not know what tomorrow holds, but today I choose again to follow Jesus. Amen.
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