The Olive Press: Discovering Purpose in God’s No

Devotional From The Sermon: When We Pray: And God Says No

Rev. Adrienne Aiken Morgan

Reading: Romans 8:28; John 12:23-28

Devotional:

The name Gethsemane means a place for pressing oil. Olive oil was not produced by gentle handling. The olives had to be placed under the crushing weight of a great stone, pressed repeatedly until every drop of oil was released. Jesus was crushed in the very garden whose name described the process. God’s no to our prayers is not always a denial of our value or a sign of his indifference. Sometimes it is the necessary pressure that produces the oil of purpose in our lives. What God allows to press us is often what he uses to anoint us. The crushing is not the end of the story.

Personal Reflection: Looking back, can you identify a season when God’s no or a painful experience ultimately produced something meaningful in your character, your faith, or your calling?

Practical Application: Journal about a difficulty you are currently facing or have faced. Ask God to reveal what he may be producing in you through the pressing. Pray for eyes to see purpose where you have only seen pain.