Have you ever wondered how olive oil is made? I suppose many of us have given it a fleeting thought, but I'm pretty sure that only a few have sought to fully comprehend this intricate process (don't worry, neither have I). Luckily this message will not be an extensive explanation thereof, but rather one about how God has started the process in me - merely a month ago:
I've been plucked and tossed in a basket with many other olives - all eager to become what the Farmer has called us to be; whether it be as food on the table, mixed into healthcare products or maybe, just maybe, to become a portion of pure oil. Oh what a glorious privilege it will be to serve my Master as part of such a valued element in His household.
This desire to be used in His Kingdom has been growing exponentially with every step of our journey. I could almost hear my own heart cry out: "Here I am Lord! Use me! Pour me out in the nations. I am ready."
And then He answered my longing with a question that brought the whole race to a stand still:
"Are you willing to be thrown into the press?“
You see, for the olives to be used, the harvest first needs to be CLEANED. All stems, twigs, leaves or any other debris have to be removed. Then the olives will be washed with water to clean any dirt or pestiside that stuck to the fruit.
And although I thought that I had done this before, He exposed the deep dark corners that still needed to be cleansed. The process isn't all that easy (and can actually really hurt sometimes), but it remains undeniably liberating!
The process, however, doesn't stop there. I found another piece of the puzzle, that I had skipped before, in Mat 4:1-11 where Christ is tempted by the devil. Now before this week I use to read it as follows: Christ gets baptized and is clothed with the Holy Spirit; He goes into the wilderness; and then returns as the Lion of Judah - full of the authority of God, doing miracles as the Father leads Him. What I missed was the significance of the 40 days of fasting and persecution by the enemy. There is a waiting period filled with trials that I needed to take note of! Once more the Lord answered my yearning with a question:
“Are you willing to wait?"
So now the harvest is clean and ready for grinding. This means that the olives will be crushed in order to tear the flesh cells that facilitate the release of oil from the vacoules. Then malaxing (mixing) follows as the small droplets of oil start to gather into bigger drops.
Needless to say, this seems to be everything BUT a smooth sailing journey! Thankfully God's promises are too marvelous for fear to keep us down:
1 Pet 4: 12-14
"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."
Suffering will come, and the crushing is necessary. For only then, after every individual has died to the self and become a valuable part of the bigger goal, can the mixture be placed in the press. And in this final stage the oil gets seperated from the rest.
So I pose the question that we must all answer for ourselves:
"Are you willing to be thrown into the press?"