Wow it has been a long time since my last post. This past week was Holy week and as I am reflecting on our service on Sunday and my on-going study of Daniel I thought I'd put down some of my thoughts.
Today I am thinking of Jesus' pain & suffering - something his short life on earth knew so well. I am also remembering when Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. Through this trial it allowed for King Neby to see a fourth person in the fire with them and that they were not consumed by the flames but instead were unharmed.
In our sermon on Palm Sunday Jessica named that Jesus was not protected from pain, suffering & death. God's favor does not equal success & protection but He does promise provision - in the midst of the suffering. It's not if we have trials but when - something I've always known. When we are faced with the trials and are in the midst of the fire, our faith is refined. As I envision the four people in the fiery furnace I am encouraged to know the fourth one is God standing in there with us.
So often in the fire we are caught up/consumed with the fire itself - the treatments, the loss, the pain, the depression, the loneliness. When do we consider, look for, recognize the fourth person in the furnace with us - the One that is there but wasn't visible before? Does God become visible in the fire, for us - or for the others on the outside looking in?
We know in our heads that God is always with us, so does He become visible once we acknowledge Him, once we completely put our trust in Him? Once we shift our focus off the fire, recognizing it's Jesus' feet we want to sit at, it's His love that embraces us, is it then that we have the courage to walk thru the fire? What if we never walk out of the fire? If not, then we will be gazing into Jesus' eyes so closely, that maybe we won't really notice that others have left our side. Wondering if the those who were experiencing the fire with us, would also see the loving, gentle eyes, and the peaceful presence you found with Jesus. Knowing at some point they will be able to walk out of the fire, not consumed, but refined.
Will others notice the fourth person in our fiery furnace? Do we even notice Him? Refining -is never easy, but results in such beauty. One day our trials will take us through the fire and into Jesus' arms. Will we draw others around us closer to their Maker in the process or will we all miss seeing Jesus at all because we have allowed the fire to be our focus?
hm this is so powerful. often times we can get lost in the vacuum of asking why why why..and i sense it as the same mesmerizing trance that staring into the flames can be. how hard it is to refocus our hearts from staring into the pain and crying 'why' to looking for the fourth person and sitting contently with Him at his feet. thanks for your thoughts.
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