Fire

As I write this, the area around my house is thick with smoke from a forest fire and I am sure many of you have this as well. The fire is no where near me, in fact it is from another province. Apparently a lot of smoke has drifted to a lot of places making visibility and breathing a challenge.

Fire. The world inspires visions to each of us, some dream of campfires and to others erupting forest fires of danger.

The Bible says a lot about fire, it is not a topic preached on so much anymore. Hell fire and brimstone used to be a real thing for sermons.

Did you know Gods throne is on fire? Check out Daniel 7:9-10, Ezekiel 1:26-27, Revelation 4:5

The church focuses on Who is on the throne, the River of Life flowing from the fiery throne, the rainbow surrounding the throne but not so much the fire.

Fire… it devours, ruins, burns, cleanses, refines and purifies. That is quite a contradiction in one sentence from one word. No one wants to be in a fire or be touched by it. Touch that hot pot on the stove and you will know what I mean.

Fire in the fireplace is good, fire in the curtains, not so much. Yet we humans learn best under pressure, when the heat is on, in those not so comfy places of life that we want out of immediately!

Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son by fire. Genesis 22

Moses was talked to by God through a burning fiery bush. Exodus 3

God walked the Israelites through the desert with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to give them light. Exodus 13:21

The prophet Isaiah had his lips touched with a fiery coal held with tongs and held by a seraph, an angel, to purify him. The Bible says the fire removed Isaiah’s guilt and that he was now forgiven. Isaiah 6:6-8 Fire cleanses and purifies.

Last Sunday our pastor had the children act out the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace from the book of Daniel, chapter 3.

A favorite verse of mine is:

“For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about her, and will be the glory in the midst of her.” Zechariah 2:5

It is a promise of protection to the city of Jerusalem but I believe we can learn a lot from it. Notice Gods promise that He will be in the midst of the fire with us, not keeping us out of it.

Silver is refined by fire, it is held in a crucible. A crucible is a heat-resistant container made of clay, porcelain or graphite, used for melting metals, it is also referred to as a severe trial or test.

The Bible says you and I are formed from the dirt of the ground originally…dirt, clay. God refers to us as clay and He is the potter who will mold and shape us into a vessel of His choosing. Jeremiah 18:6

God will be a wall of fire around us, oh the romantic version of being protected. No predators will come through the fire to get us, secure in the middle. Wait! What? In the middle of the fire… a very intensely hot place to be. Fire, the heat that changes clay to pottery even porcelain, useable, firm, beautiful.

Life presents a lot of fires, some small, snuffed out before they can get started. Some medium but fire has a life of its own and it can escalate quickly into a raging inferno with us stuck in the middle. We stand there and scream for help, for rescue, we do not want to be in there.

Those times in our lives that we yell out, plead for an out, where we tell God that it hurts too much. Those are the times when we are standing in the fire, thinking we are alone, but we are not. He is there, right in the midst.

I was talking to a blog reader last week and she acknowledged that my last couple blogs she could relate to. I told her that of course she could because I am not going through something unique, I simply am writing and talking about it. The fires of my life, the uncomfortable, the uncertain, the icky phases of life we would rather say “no thank you” too.

I have learned it is the fires of life that will make or break you. The fires will come it is not “if” but “when”. It takes fire to change clay to pottery or porcelain or in some cases crack it and render it unusable. It takes fire to change a Christian into a Disciple or into an angry bitter person. We choose.

Difference: (I did not write the following, I saw it on FB)

A Christian believes the Truth,

A Disciple submits to it.

A Christian visits with God,

A Disciple abides in God.

A Christian seeks what God can give them,

A Disciple seeks Gods Kingdom

A Christian asks if I can do this,

A Disciple asks if it will honor God

A Christian will follow when it is convenient,

A Disciple picks up their cross daily

A Christian may know scripture,

A Disciple will be shaped by scripture

Being a Christian is just the beginning,

Being a Disciple is life surrendered.

Fire. The process in which the forests are regenerated to new life. Pine cones only release seeds in extreme heat, the black charred spots and mess gives nutrients to the soil to produce new life.

Silver, gold, precious metals become refined, worth more while held in fire. Basic clay becomes valuable pottery even porcelain, treasured art and vessels when put thru the fire.

I am learning the art of finding Jesus right in the center of the fire. He is in the center of everything. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego found a friend in the fire, a 4th man who looked like a “god”, said the King who threw them in.

These 3 men had told the King “our God can save us, but even if He doesn’t, we will not bow to you, we will trust Him.”

Even if we get burned, scared, hurt by the fires of life because consequences still happen, He is faithful to meet you right there, smack in the middle of your fire. Ask Him to open your eyes to see exactly where He is standing with you in your fire. Listen intently expecting to hear His voice in your heart. He will never leave or forsake you. He is not a God running around the outside of the fire circle trying to get in, or yelling at you to come out. He is there in the midst of the circle holding on to you closely to Him, intimately.

You can tell the people who have been through the fire with Jesus, there is a beauty, a grace and a presence that cannot be hidden, a treasure. They have discovered how to find peace in the storm, a refuge in the fire.

I love this song that is attached to the bottom of this blog, it has been my go to for a couple months when I feel the fire is just a little or way too hot and I want to fight my way out. Tired and exhausted from fighting I acknowledge that I know exactly Who is holding onto me and is right beside me in the fire. Do I like the fire? No. But often knowing that there are benefits of fire and that we are not alone is all we need to get through.

Song: Holding On by Jon Reddick

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gdakpgtyJWA&ra=m