Is there a beautiful spot in Metro Vancouver where you like to go to get away from the busyness of life?  Less than one kilometer from my condo is the Rose Garden at Queen’s Park.  But even better for me, just a little farther, is Glenbrook Ravine Park.  There’s just something about being in the forest.  Where is your place? 

When Jesus was in the city of Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane was his preferred place.  He often went there with his disciples.  Gethsemane was a garden area among the olive groves, at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  In Hebrew, the word “Gethsemane” means “oil press” – the place where olives are pressed for oil.

Today we will contemplate the pressing of our souls.  Many things can put us into a soul press (relational breakdown, credit card debt, school exams, pressure at work, lack of meaning, terminal illness, fear of death).  What is pressing your soul today?  

Reflection Questions:

1. What circumstance placed you in the oil press this week?
2. What kind of oil did your soul produce?
3. Do you have a quiet place?  What is your time with the Father yielding?