Have you ever studied an old stone arch? The capstone supports the weight of the whole; it bears the pressure.

We appreciate the value of pressure when we see a tourniquet applied, thus stopping the flow of blood and saving a life.

J. Hudson Taylor, the great pioneer missionary to China, used to say we should not mind how great the pressure is–only where the pressure lies. If we make sure it never comes between us and our Lord, then the greater the pressure, the more it presses us to Him.

Perhaps our secret of “grace under pressure” lies in accepting that pressure as from the Lord, or at least permitted by Him.

It may be one more request than we think we can fulfill, one more responsibility than we think we can manage, one more phone call, one more pile of dishes to wash, one more bed to make, one more room to clean, one more complaint to listen to, one more interruption …

Yet, as we accept it as from Him, asking Him to teach us what He would have us learn through the experience, as we use it for the good of others and for His glory, pressure will have fulfilled its purpose.