Pressed but not Crushed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ofE-GZ8zTU

Sara Groves, a Dove award winner, had this song a few years ago. In this song, she voices that all the promises she needs are right in front of her. "We are persecuted but not abandoned, pressed but not crushed..nothing will keep us from the love of God."

Yesterday, I had a spirited discussion with a friend about why or why not God chooses to heal or not. I was reminded of when I was single, finding myself in a provocative situation that could have kept me from giving my future wife the gift reserved for marriage. All of a sudden I had a bad asthma attack that kept me from doing something stupid. I've always prayed for healing of asthma, but that day I was not healed for a reason. He always provides a way of escape.

I remember in 1980 at San Diego State when Josh McDowell with Campus Crusade, spoke about having sex outside of marriage. The story he told was on their wedding night, this couple are consumating the marriage, and afterword she says "Oh honey, you're definitely in the top 25." That sory always stuck with me and still does today.

Between asthma, that story, reading the Word, and my dad, all affected me in being able to present myself to my wife holy, and set apart for her.