Left for too long in the fire?

 

 

Do you ever feel like God has left you in the fire too long?

Scripture uses the language of fire to describe trials:

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you,” writes Peter in 1 Peter 4:12.

In my vulnerable moments,  we wonder and  maybe even panic:  Has God has left me in the fire too long?  But let’s both “be all ears that hear” to what God promises through and to His prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 43:2-3: When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

• God is 100% attentive: every single moment of  my trial is under his intense scrutiny and Lordship.
• How strengthening to know that His  infinite wisdom, love, and  power are all mine in my suffering.  He will make sure that my trial will not consume me, not overwhelm me, will not burn me up and leave my life wasted in the fire.
• Do I believe that with all  my heart?   Or do I – as I  consider my trials – feel completely overwhelmed? 
• Even as you read this short post, take heart, those are exactly the kinds of trials in which God is mightily at work with results
• Our empathetic God comes near,  enters the chaos and mess of our sorrows and suffering.
• He meticulously works every aspect of it,  out for my good and His glory.  His amazing skill, power and attentiveness are infinite and actively at work in me.
• He is in control of our trials and the result is definitely going to  outweigh the pain.

Be fully assured: 

God does not leave his children in the fire unattended.

Want more?  Here is the complete original blog post that so struck and moved me that I stopped for a while and shared with you too.

The Classic Fear for Peace Verse

 

 

A Preaching Course by Tim Keller - 2010

 

A brilliant 35-part preaching course in i-tunes. 

Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World.

It’s theological, practical and engaging!

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

The Heidelberg Catechism

Lord's Day 1
Q&A 1
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own,¹ but belong—body and soul, in life and in death²—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.³
He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,⁴ and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.⁵ He also watches over me in such a way⁶ that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven;⁷ in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.⁸
Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life⁹ and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.^10
1 1 Cor. 6:19-20
² Rom. 14:7-9
³ 1 Cor. 3:23; Titus 2:14
⁴ 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7-9; 2:2
⁵ John 8:34-36; Heb. 2:14-15; 1 John 3:1-11
⁶ John 6:39-40; 10:27-30; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:5
⁷ Matt. 10:29-31; Luke 21:16-18
⁸ Rom. 8:28
⁹ Rom. 8:15-16; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14
¹⁰ Rom. 8:1-17

Prayer fuelled by relationship with God & Bible

What is the general content of our prayers for others?

Gordon and I have been trying to combine the circumstances of the person we pray for, with their specific prayer requests and added to the mix, Scripture.

Sometimes we jot down a line or two from a Psalm or anywhere in the Bible. 

If we’ve set aside more time, we love to emulate one of Paul’s prayers.  The big result is when God connects requests in line with what comes from His own Mouth with the circumstances of those we pray for.

Two side-notes:

1. We don’t feel selfish to pray these for ourselves (we are too conscious of our need of grace!)
2. We ask boldly for healing or whatever the request is, in submission to God’s will.

You may need to take a deee-eeeep breath before you pray with our brother the Apostle, as he does in Colossians!

• When is the last time I put my hand on the back of a fellow Christian and prayed for their struggles as they also prayed for mine (James 5:16)?
• When is the last time I wept as I prayed?
• When is the last time I got down on my knees…no matter what was going on…and prayed without using robotic clichés and prayed as specifically as I possibly could and thanked Him in advance for His will (1 John 5:14)?
• What Christian does not want to learn to pray better? What Christian would claim that his prayers are as powerful as ever he would want them to be?
Let’s pursue God rather than prayer without a relationship with Him.

“A praying life isn’t something you accomplish in a year.

It is a journey of a lifetime. “

Paul Miller in his book, “A Praying Life.”