Pressing Into God

Coins are usually made by being cast in a die. The resulting shape will exactly fit the die. It is in its image. But if the coin gets bent or damaged, the perfect match will be lost. When the Bible tells us that God made mankind in His image it means many things and, among them, is this: God intended us to have a relationship with Him that is ‘a perfect match`.

Before they sinned, Adam and Eve had just such a perfect fit with God. Since then, only Jesus, ‘the second Adam’ has had such a relationship with Him.

The Bible often uses the word ‘iniquity’ for sin. It means, ‘bentness’. This bentness in our lives gets in the way of a truly intimate relationship with God. A bent coin will never exactly match the die from which it was cast. But if you pushed it into its die under strong pressure, it could be reshaped.

We all know that confession, repentance and committing ourselves to true godliness of thought and behaviour is essential if we are to keep our relationship with God healthy. But, as I’ve been thinking about this, I’ve come to understand that there’s something else as well – something that older Christian writers and preachers sometimes called ‘pressing in’ to God.

The harder a bent coin is pressed against the die, the more it will be restored to its correct image. And, of course, if it stayed there, it would be protected by the die and, wouldn’t get bent again. I’m convinced that the closer we get to God and the closer we stay with God, the more our lives show the image of God in us: the characteristics of love, kindness, generosity, purity, integrity – the things we often call the fruit of the Spirit. And the closer we stay with Him, the more we are protected from getting bent again.

I find myself asking, “How do I respond to pressures in my life?” Do I turn to coping strategies, or do I decide to use the pressures to press me closer into God?

How we need to press into Him – to get close to Him and allow Him to shape all our attitudes, thoughts and actions.