Which Fire Will You Walk Through?
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” Romans 5:3-4
Several years ago, I attended a workshop at church that talked about why bad things happen. The pastor’s analogy has always stuck with me. When there is a train wreck, we are not surprised if there are very few survivors. It’s inevitable. Because of our broken world and broken people, we live in a train wreck; therefore, we shouldn’t be surprised when bad things happen.
We will all, at some point in our lives be faced with some kind of major difficulty, disappointment and/or damage. Often times we call it “going through the fire.” And, it’s inevitable.
My parents divorce, the autism diagnosis of a child, the death of a grandmother who was like a mother to me, difficulties in my marriage, deep frustrations over my purpose, and even our current Covid pandemic have been difficult fires I have had to walk through. Some are continuous fires.
And each time in the past, I called out to God to please just get me through the fire. To take away the pain. To help me endure. To just get me through to the other side where life would be better.
I would say all the right things a Christian would say:
“God’s got this.”
“He is my Rock and Strength.”
“I just need to trust in my Father.”
But all the while, if I was truly honest with myself, I really relied on my own strength. I ultimately tried to control my situations and surroundings and without even realizing it, I pushed “My Rock” and “My Strength” out the door of my heart because I didn’t completely trust Him.
I became like the wayward Israelites who would go from one fire to another not fully trusting that God loved them and doubting how much they mattered to Him. I claimed to be His, yet deep in my heart I didn’t believe that He could totally be there for me.
So, I would walk through the fires without allowing myself to be angry at God. To feel. To grieve. To forgive. To heal.
I would put on a strong demeanor, sing praise songs, go to church, read my Bible, attend Bible studies. I did all the right things. Except allow the fire to penetrate my heart and bring me to my knees.
It wasn’t until I ended up on my bathroom floor, a pile of broken pieces, that I surrendered my need for control. And I began praying a different prayer. Instead of “Lord please get me through this,” I began praying, “Lord, show me what I need to change. Show me what I need to learn. Show me what I need to heal.”
I finally gave the wheel to my Savior and allowed Him to drive me through life, instead of leaving Him in the backseat. And He chose to drive me straight through the Wall. According to Peter Scazzero, in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, he says,
“Every follower of Jesus at some point will confront the Wall – or, as the ancients called it, “the dark night of the soul.” … Failure to understand its nature results in great long-term pain and confusion. Receiving the gift of God in the Wall, however, transforms our lives forever.”
The journey through the wall takes time and hard work and it’s a journey I continue to walk. But it all started with a decision to surrender and walk through my Refiner’s Fire instead of just getting through the fire.
The Refiner’s Fire analogy that can easily be found on the internet so adequately describes the process as well as give us a glimpse into God’s heart.
A woman went to see a silversmith to find out what the refining process looked like. “As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: ‘He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.’ (Malachi 3:3) She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, ‘How do you know when the silver is fully refined?’ He smiled at her and answered, ‘Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.’” (Our Goodwin Journey, “The Refiner’s Fire”)
Whenever we go through a fire, we change.
We can just get through the fire that life has thrown us and come out of it a little burned, hurt or worse, destroyed. It will require the need for more healing. Now imagine going through multiple fires over time. We continue to get more burns, more scars and in need of even more healing. Like Peter Scazzero said above, “Failure to understand its nature results in great long-term pain and confusion.”
Or,
We can choose to go through the Refiner’s fire. This fire can be slow and very difficult because in order to refine the silver they have to put it in very extreme heat. But in the process, instead of being burned,
We will be healed.
We will be comforted.
We will be set free.
We will become more like our Savior.
And the fire will not consume us.
“I the Lord do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob!” Which simply means that life in the refiner’s fire is a life of trust in the unchanging, purifying love of God. John Piper, “He is Like a Refiner’s Fire”
If we don’t trust in God’s purifying love, we will be stuck in a vicious cycle until we allow God to change our character. To walk us through the Wall. To change our heart so the cycle can stop and we can live in hope. Remember Romans 5:3-4 at the beginning? The only way we can ever get to a point of true rejoicing in suffering is going through His fire. The fire that leads to a change of character which then brings hope.
Allowing God to take you through His refining fire doesn’t mean you will never face another fire. Instead it means you will now have the Hope in His Truth and His Love to get you through anything. And you will rejoice in His amazing, unchanging love and faithfulness. The Living Bible makes it even more clear.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5, The Living Bible
“We are able to hold our heads high NO MATTER what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us.” WOW! We can get through anything because we finally understand the depth of our Savior’s love for us.
During this time of uncertainty and chaos, as you sit in the stillness of your home while you wait out the craziness, will you allow God to penetrate your heart? To take you on a journey through your Wall?
Or, will you turn up the praise songs and continue to wall up your heart instead because it hurts too much to release the impurities to the care of the Refiner?
God wants so much to bring you through your desert and into His promised land, but it’s your choice.
Will you choose to just get through the fire?
Or,
Will you allow God’s fire to refine you?
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