“Being united with God is my highest good.
I have made the Almighty Lord my refuge
so that I may report everything that he has done.”
(Psalm 73:28 GW)
“Teach me to do your will, because you are my God. May your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
(Psalm 143:10 GW)
How do we get the oils we eat? By pressing or crushing the seed.
How do we get the juices we drink? By crushing the fruit or vegetable.
How does a vineyard or orchard owner urge the vines or trees to greater fruitfulness? By cutting some off.
How does the metal-worker remove impurities and prepare the metal to be shaped? By heating it. A lot.
How does God work on us to get us ready for something new? By purifying, pressing, heating, pruning, and other processes that, quite frankly, can be painful.
In the crushing, in the pressing You are making new wine
In the soil I now surrender You are breaking new ground
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand
Make me Your vessel, make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing but all You have given me
Jesus bring new wine out of me*
I’ve talked with several people recently for whom this seems to be a theme. They are walking/praying/ limping/struggling through a time of God’s purifying and sometimes crushing fire working on them. We are told that those who God dearly and tenderly loves he rebukes and disciplines – showing them their faults and instructing them. God wants us to be enthusiastic about this process and to allow him to change our inner selves, our old nature, and to repent of our sinful behavior and seek God’s will (Revelation 3:19). Theologically it sounds great. After all, God counsels us to buy spiritual “gold” from him so we may become truly rich, to obtain white robes from him for righteousness, and to seek healing salve so we can see from God’s perspective (Revelation 3:18). Who wouldn’t want riches, righteousness, and vision?
Yet: “Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. Otherwise, if you lay a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will make fun of you.” (Luke 14:28-29 GW)
Jesus did teach us to “count the cost.” Realistically, though, when you are walking through the time of purification, it can hurt so much that you forget that God’s work always leads to Good.
Where there is new wine there is new power
There is new freedom, the Kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames to carry Your new fire today*
New freedom, new life, new fire come during and after a time of purification and growth. The spiritual “wine” of a new season can’t be put in us “old wineskins” from the last season. We have to be remade into the new.
“People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.” (Mark 2:22 GW)
If today you or someone you know is going through a pressing, crushing, refining season, remind them of the goodness of God. Remind them that he wants to make each of us more like him. Remind them that God has a good plan for their lives and for the reality of this struggle season. Encourage them. Pray for them. And don’t let them give in to discouragement or heartache. God has good plans for them – not for disaster, but for peace, hope, and a future.
God,
Thank you for your good plans. When you are remaking us more and more into the image of your Son, give us courage to let you do that work. When we feel pressed, crushed, refined, and exhausted, remind us that your New Life is the best plan for us. Make us vessels, make us offerings, make us whatever you want us to be. Give us new wine, new freedom, new power from Holy Spirit. Help us to lay down our old ways and to be remade into the new spiritual wineskins that can impact the world with your Good News. We ask in Jesus’s name, Amen.
“Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes[representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I[dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will].” (Revelation 3:17-19 AMP)
“You put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation].” (Ephesians 4:22-24 AMP)
“Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. Otherwise, if you lay a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will make fun of you.” (Luke 14: 28-29 GW)
“No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. Otherwise, the new patch will shrink and rip away some of the old cloth, and the tear will become worse. People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will make the skins burst, and both the wine and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.” (Mark 2:21-22 GW)
“I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 GW)
*”New Wine” Words and Music by Brooke Ligertwood © 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing
VERSE 1:
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
PRE-CHORUS:
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand
CHORUS:
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus bring new wine out of me
VERSE 2:
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making new wine
In the soil I now surrender
You are breaking new ground
VERSE TAG:
You are breaking new ground
BRIDGE:
Where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
The Kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today