Through the Fire

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;"

Isaiah 43:1b-3a (NIV)

Many people think the Christian life should be easy. The idea is that if you’re a good person, you can avoid struggle. One reason this idea has spread in certain parts of the world today is that we don’t talk much about struggle, at least not our own. That’s so . . . uncomfortable, isn’t it?

Think about this, though. Try your best to find someone in Scripture, anyone, who had an easy life, and you’ll come up empty. You might think about Jabez, in 1 Chronicles 4, who asked God not to let him experience any pain in life. Scripture tells us that God did answer that prayer, but Jabez only gets two verses. There’s not much to see there, and for Jabez to even ask God to do that would indicate he already knew suffering. He’d already been touched by it, or he had had some real fears take hold of him. Then, there’s the rich young ruler in Mark 10. But that guy walked away from Jesus sad because he loved his comfortable life too much. He had an easy life, but he didn’t have eternal life.

Isaiah 43 teaches “when” about suffering, not “if.” So do Jesus’s words in John 16:33, “You will have suffering in this world.” All through the Bible, suffering is the example that is common to all people. We also learn throughout the Bible that God is with us in suffering. When the heat of life’s trials rises, God doesn’t abandon us. He walks with us through the fire. You will suffer, but in your suffering, you’re not alone.

• Do God’s words in Isaiah 43:1b-3a scare you or encourage you? Why?
• Read John 16:33. Why is God’s presence with you in suffering something to sing praises about?
• Thank God for your redemption in Jesus Christ. Thank Him for knowing your name and calling you His own. Thank Him for His promise to be with you when you face circumstances comparable to passing through waters and walking through fire. Ask Him to help you praise Him in those circumstances.