out of the ordinary | the food

God frequently works through the ordinary. Through them he shares something of his love for us and reveals elements of his redemption plan. In this devotional series we look at some of the ordinary things Jesus would have encountered as he journeyed towards the cross. We are looking at the food items this week. Holy Spirit, will you reveal something extraordinary through each of them. Amen.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening. Psalm 92:1-2, NLT

In Psalm 92 we see that God looks to us to be like fresh oil (the Hebrew word for ‘fresh’ refers to the vibrant green of newly pressed oil which we know as virgin olive oil). Unfortunately, olive oil can only be obtained by pressing, and it has to be the whole fruit (including the stone) that is crushed as the flesh on its own yields a bitter, white sap. In Bible times a huge press would have ground the whole olives, and the method would have released the oil and also removed the bitterness. Every part of the fruit would have been involved in the process to obtain useful, palatable oil.

There are times when we feel we are going through a great crushing. If we’re honest, sometimes the pressure on us feels intolerable and we lash out at God because he doesn’t seem to be doing anything to ease our pain our relieve the burden. It’s then we have to remember the benefits of the finished product. After all the crushing and squeezing the press will release the most precious of oils. An oil that can be used for mundane purposes (such as cooking) but also holy ones (such as anointing).

Don’t give up in the time of pressing. Allow the Holy Spirit to make you new: mind, body and spirit. Praise the Father for his love and faithfulness. Even when you feel completely crushed. God is at work to restore and bless you.

Let’s pray
Thank you, Lord, that you are with me in the pressing. Thank you that you are working all things together – even this! – for my good. I praise you today for your love and faithfulness to me. Strengthen all of us who are going through challenging times at the moment. In Jesus' name. Amen.