Saturday 11 April 2015

Let it burn



Sounds of scraping reached my ears, alerting me to the toast being close to becoming cinders.

Thankfully, it was not meant for me but for my beloved who likes his toast near to charcoal before he considers it ready.

He pours scorn on mine resembling 'singed bread' instead. We don't all like the same degree of heat, do we?

Life itself offers many opportunities for us to feel scorched by our circumstances, burnt by being rejected, or to feel on fire with passion and drive to succeed in our dreams and plans.

There is danger of being consumed with a whole host of emotions as we go through our days. Being on fire is more likely to make us fume, see red and give off angry smoke than feel energised.

Because the more important something is to us, the less we can cope with challenge or changes to it. 

I see small signs of it in my little toddler grandson as his thwarted goals often make him whimper or rage. He wants what he wants and he wants it Now. 

Determination is what keeps him pressing on beyond his limitations and on to the next milestone.

It begs the question:How hard do we fight for our faith? 

How much does it mean to us? 

Would we go through fire for Jesus? Maybe...

Perhaps knowing how much Jesus has gone through for us can provide all the motivation we need to aim to live our lives fully surrendered to Him?

If you're experiencing the fires of adversity right now, then you know it's a given for being human. 

Besides, all who desire to live a godly, yielded life will experience the heat of struggle and opposition.

But are you (and I) aware how Jesus is in the fiery furnace with us?

Yes, He is present, right smack in the middle of whatever we are going through.

And the heat of it all won't harm us when we realise His nearness.


Quite often we will need to stop, pause... take a deep breath ...and pray. Life scorches us and we feel its blaze, choke on the smoke and feel flames licking higher.

God already knows what we are going through and He stands ready to come alongside, comfort, strengthen or deliver us.

And once we turn our thoughts to God's ability to help rather than our inability to cope, we can be confident He will hear and answer us. 

He rallies to our cries, hears the unspoken fears in our heart and sees the incipient tears in our eyes.

Because just like my grandson is to me, we are deeply precious, special and beloved to God. 

He yearns, even burns to set us free to live above those fiery circumstances and to be at peace in the midst of problems. 

God's loving presence is also a consuming fire which scorches off the dross and detritus we needlessly carry.

In His current of grace we can breathe pure, clean air again, become rested and restored once more.

We become readied to live alive and alert to His presence, our hearts warmed with love and gratitude for all He has done.

6 comments:

  1. As ever, your words have soothed me and arrived at a very precise moment for me. I'm amazed by how He is present there, always, when we need him: I felt a call from Him yesterday to pick up my Bible. I opened it at random, where I felt it 'calling' to me and found the words from Psalm 18 jumping out at me, "You exalted me above my foes...From violent men you rescued me"...incredible, really....I needed to hear that at that exact moment.....love your post, love how you constructed it, its message and (as always) your beautifully thoughtful writing. Thank you.

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    1. As ever, Helen, I am blessed by your visit and the kind and encouraging words you share here. Yes, God's intimate knowledge of us and His ways of reaching out just when we need a word or touch from Him are truly amazing.
      Thank you for joining in the conversation and sharing insights from your own faith journey. I really appreciate it, my friend, and only wish I had more energy and focus to leave comments at your lovely place and others around the blogosphere too. Supporting, encouraging and inspiring one another is what it's all about. God bless you. :) x

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  2. Another beautifully encouraging post Joy which offers much comfort because of the reality of truth. Yes He is in the fire with us and I guess if we fight against being in there the fragrance that he wishes to rise from us will be lost. God bless you.

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    1. Liana, your words here hit home to me:"If we fight against being in there the fragrance that he wishes to rise from us will be lost." What an insightful thought! Thank you for stopping by to offer such lovely encouragement too. Blessings to you, friend :) x

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  3. Hi Joy. I needed to be reminded of this - "all who desire to live a godly, yielded life will experience the heat of struggle and opposition." It seems the more I long to surrender completely to Him, the greater the struggle. I cling to the comfort that Jesus is always in the fire with us! Thank you.

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    1. HI Trudy. Oh how hard it can be to fully surrender sometimes! I feel for you, my friend. And I remember how challenging it was for me to release, relax and rest in Him during my own recent time out. Keep on clinging to those comforting thoughts. You and I are never as alone as we may feel because "Jesus is always in the fire with us." Thinking of and praying for you. :) x

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