A Fire of My Own

Our Heavenly Father in His infinite love and mercy many times spares us from the fire. The interesting thing is that some fires are known to us.  We see them approaching and we brace for them, then we breathe a sigh of huge relief when He delivers us from them.  Some others remained completely unknown to us until the day we get to our eternal home and see the picture in its entirety. There are some fires, however, that we have to go through. It is all part of the process of refining our faith. This process of refining means cleansing.  It involves removing all impurities so the final product is something radiant, like gold. The cleansing, however, is painful for it involves fire. 

So again, even though we don’t go through all the potential fires, God’s perfect plan inevitably includes us going through some. That is the only way our faith is refined and Jesus is revealed in our renewed character. I have been going through my personal fire since May. I thought, last Friday, that part of this particular fire was going to be extinguished, but it wasn’t. I realized today that unlike many others that He has delivered me from, this one I have to face head on. It is my own. It was planned for me. And I have to carry on. 

The good news is that I don’t have to walk through it alone. He is with me inside of it. He is the other person that could be seen through the blazing furnace (Daniel 3) He is the shield that protects me from getting burned. He is my companion in time of trouble (Psalm 46). And at the appointed time, He will walk with me out of it so His presence may be revealed. 

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1: 6-7

So today, in the midst of my blazing furnace, I stand with Him, hand in hand, for after a little while, I will say goodbye to my affliction. I realize that despite the fire, His plan is still perfect.  Even when I try to resist it, His way is always the best.  It is my prayer that all along, the result is praise, glory and honor as Christ is revealed in me.