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In the fire

 

There is so much distress in the world it is easy to feel distracted, despairing and far from God. I cannot imagine what it is like to live in some of the circumstances that many are dealing with. In New Zealand, we have had our own recent tragedy with six people at a campground buried in a landslide during heavy rain. My heart breaks for their families as it breaks for others enduring suffering around the world. I believe God’s heart breaks!

I have two friends who have terminal cancer. One is a young man in his late forties, I think, with a wife and four children. He has a rare untreatable cancer and is currently undergoing treatment to try and give him a few more months with his family. Although they are devastated, nevertheless they are holding on tight to God and absolutely contending for a miracle, believing Jesus is mighty to save. If the miracle doesn’t happen, nevertheless they totally trust in God and His goodness. My other friend is in her eighties, and this week she had some surgery to try and extend her life for a few months. She is a beautiful, gentle lady who loves God. When I visit, she tells me how good God has been to her through this trial, how faithful He’s been and how close He is. Her thin face radiates love for her Saviour, and I always leave her presence feeling encouraged in my faith. She is in fact looking forward to that moment when she passes from this life and is immediately in the presence of Jesus but wants as much time as possible with her family.

I can’t know how I will react if I end up in the fire. But I have total faith in God. He says not to fear that when we walk through the fire we won’t be burned, when we go through the waters we won’t be drowned (Isaiah 43:2). I remember when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace there was a fourth person in the fire with them (Daniel 3:25)—some say an angel, others that it was Jesus. The point is, they were not left to burn in the fiery furnace by themselves, God was with them and He delivered them. I love verses that remind us that all we need is God. Verses like Psalm 73:26 telling me that God is my portion forever, and Psalm 46:1-3 ‘God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.’ (NIV) We are also reminded that no matter what we are going through, His grace is sufficient for us.

So, if you are going through trials or hardship, trust in the One who loves you passionately. He will not fail you; He will always be with you. Know that there will be brothers and sisters in Christ praying for you, even from across the world.

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