According to Mike Bickle, one reason why God allows pressure is because it refocuses our souls on reality, but what does he mean? If the reason we fail to enter into rest is because of unbelief and disobedience, then it is for exactly these same reasons that we fail to enter into the reality of the abundant life, the life that Jesus promises to those who truly follow him.
The “yet” of verse 18 can be understood as “in spite of this,” I will rejoice in the Lord. But in my own experience, it is not so much in spite of all that is going wrong that I enter into the abundant life, but rather because of it. It is my contention that our loving heavenly Father allows the trials and tribulations and temptations in order to help us to choose Him. In fact these things are crossroads in most of our lives. Will we choose to believe that God is actively at work, even in these things, for our good, or will we give in to the pressure and allow it to drag us down? Or to put it another way, is this faith thing real, or have we believed cunningly devised fables? Or yet another way, is God, the Christian life and the things we read in the Bible, are they real, or is there nothing really there?
What Mike Bickel is claiming, is that reality, hope, peace, joy etc., are to be found in our relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So the question we need to ask ourselves, when all hell breaks loose around us, is “will I stand, or will I fall, will I put my trust in the ultimate reality, or will I choose to allow the trials and temptations of life to be my reality?”
The Scriptures tell us that without faith it is impossible to please God, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). So again in the difficulties, in the trials do we ask “Where are you God in this?” We need to seek Him in the trial. And when we do, when we choose to trust Him to the extent that we even choose to rejoice, then He lifts us out of the pseudo-reality, above the trials and seats is with Him in high heavenly places. He makes my feet like Hinds feet.
A hind, is a female dear, and Habakkuk has in mind the kind we see in the picture. The hinds feet allow her to stand in impossible places. So too we, when we choose to rejoice in the Lord, and to joy in the God of our salvation, will be able to stand firm and secure in the high places of His shelter and love.
Father, I choose today to rejoice in you, to joy in you the God of my salvation. I need your help even in this, even in choosing to do this. I know I will need to do this over and over until the reality of heavenly things becomes my present experiential reality. Thank you that you have promised to do exceedingly abundantly above all that I can ask or imagine, even in this. The father I believe that when I do my part, you will do yours. In Jesus name Amen
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