Walking Through Flames

I remember as a kid watching Veggie Tales movies. My mom would buy the VHSs every time we stopped at the local Christian bookstore, and as a chipper little girl, I got excited about anything and everything -- including talking vegetables.

There's one particular Veggie Tales movie I remember: the one about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

In the delightfully animated Veggie Tales version, King Nebuchadnezzar builds a giant chocolate bunny (okay, who wouldn't chomp that down at Easter?). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to bow down to the giant candy figure, whom the entire rest of the nation is bowing down to. They're accused by one of the king's officials and brought before King Nebuchadnezzar.

Let's dive into Daniel 3, where the real version is recorded (instead of a chocolate bunny, it was an image of gold constructed).

"Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego... He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace." (Daniel 3:19-21)

But instead of burning up in flames, the three men withstood the fire and stayed alive! King Nebuchadnezzar and his associates saw three forms in the fire, in addition to a fourth that was an angel of the Lord.

As a result, Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the fire and worshipped their God.

Such an amazing story. It haunts me that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego actually withstood the fire. How could something so miraculous happen? Wouldn't the heat have caused them to melt instantly, like the officials who threw them in (they didn't even step into the fire)?

I'm reminded of the flames we walk through on a day-to-day basis. They may not be actual orange, blazing flames that are heated at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but they still pose the same struggle and pain as real fire.

What are your flames? Maybe it's the broken family situation you're in; maybe it's a physical disability you're forced to live with.

Whatever temperature and height the fiery flames of your life are at, know that you are a precious piece of gold in the hand of the Refiner.

Here's a cool Bible verse I stumbled across tonight at dinner:

"Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead, and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean." (Numbers 31:22)

Read that again. All of the precious metals back in Old Testament times were commanded to be put through the fire, because they could WITHSTAND the fire.

As a precious piece of gold in the Refiner's hands, God puts you through fire because He knows you'll be able to withstand it! It's not because He wants to hurt you. The fire may be painful and may cause you to want to give up at times, but if you keep pushing through and enduring the struggle, it will be worth it in the end.

Because fire cleanses. And it shapes.

God only puts you through what you can handle. He knows where you're at with your walk with Christ, and will only carry you through the flames that will mold you.

Be prepared to be ablaze. God is ready to refine you; all you need to do is take one step forward into the fire.

Refined By Flames

During a worship gathering at my school last night, the Lord put an image on my heart: gold surrounded by the flames of a fire.

I began thinking about the meaning of the image.

I pictured the hands of a miner panning gold, his dirty blistering hands plunging a pan of sand and dirt into water and then shaking out the remnants of gold. Though the process may be gruesome and tiring, in the end the miner is left with pure gold.

Just like the gold being hidden amid piles of sand and dirt, as Christians, we were once blended in with the rest of the world. Then Jesus came and separated us from everyone else. He called us out to be his disciples.

But it doesn't stop there.

After gold is found by a miner, the miner brings it to a craftsman to be refined. The goldsmith places the gold in a crucible, and being held by tongs, thrusts the crucible into the flames to remove all of the impurities of the precious metal. After many times of being put in the flames, with temperatures in the thousands of degrees, the gold is finally made pure.

I couldn't stop thinking of how similar the process of refining gold is to our walk with the Lord.

Not only did Jesus choose us from the mess of the world, but he is constantly putting us in situations where we either have the choice to be refined or to walk away.

Take someone's death for an example. Recently at our school a former student passed away. It was a moment of grief for many students, but even through it those close to him chose joy instead of anger. They rejoiced because the student wasn't in pain anymore, and they didn't allow themselves to be overcome with despair.

This is a refining moment in the flames. As would many other circumstances, such as being stuck in a financial crisis or experiencing a break-up after a long-term relationship that you thought would lead to marriage.

How will you handle the flames that arise in your life? Will you flee, or will you remain and allow the Lord to mold your character into something more like Him?

1. The Lord takes us through struggles and pain for a reason. His ultimate purpose for us is to grow more and more into the image of Christ, and the trials we encounter are designed to help us reach that goal. Trials develop godly character, and that enables us to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

2. The Lord also reassures us that those who call on His name during these times of trial will be answered. When we put our hope fully in Him, He will calm us during the storm and provide a way out in His timing. It may not happen right away, like the Israelites who wandered in the desert for 40 years, but He will work as what fits best in His plan for your life.

"I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'" (Zechariah 13:9)

There's no avoiding the pains and troubles that come with life on earth. However, we do have a choice about what we do when these troubling times hit. Choosing to trust in the Lord and abide in Him during the storm will give us the opportunity to grow more into the image of Christ.

And once we choose to put our hope in Him, the Lord will rid of us of all our impurities when we become fully SATURATED in His presence. Ask Him to ignite the flame in your heart that would gnaw away at any impurity hindering your from growing in your relationship with the Lord.