Facing Blazing Fire, But Not Alone

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"Bless the lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, who makes the clouds His chariot, who walks on the wings of the wind, who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. You who laid the foundations of the earth so that it should not be moved forever" (Psalm 104:1-5).

Life is unpredictable; one day we are full of joy and cheer while the another day we are full of anxiety and uncertainty. We go through it with a hope that nothing will harm us or come our way unexpectedly. We tend to ignore the history of life experiences which each one of us experiences; some are pleasant and others are not.

When suffering approaches us, fear and disbelief will accompany it which makes us feel fragile, wretched, and unsure. These feelings should not be ridiculed or denied because our behavior and actions regarding these feelings are indicators of our level of maturity in our spiritual life.

Do you think you are in charge? That you have the first and the last word? Or do you allow God to interfere in your life?

Some people go through life thinking that they are in charge and that God is not paying attention to what is going on. They fail to realize that God holds absolute authority over everything in the universe, including us. He created the universe, He made human out of dust and gave him life with His own breathe. God knows everything about us and He can write a whole book about each one of us (every kind act we do, every hurt and pain we go through, every joy we feel...etc.). He knows us inside out.

Our world can change in a matter of a heartbeat with an unexpected phone call, sudden illness, betrayal...etc. Then we find ourselves dealing with a sudden wave, stronger than we can imagine, and if we are not alert enough we can end up with many bumps and bruises.

Therefore we must not wait for these moments to come in order to learn how to overcome them. On the contrary, we need to learn how to navigate our ways, accept things the way they are, move on with our lives, and protect ourselves against it.

Knowing God is to read the Old Testament and the New Testament in order to have a broad knowledge of the mighty God, the loving God. We will also be made aware what is yet to come; the new heaven, the new earth filled with love, kindness, peace, and harmony and without pain and suffering.

God's passion is to dwell among His people and wipe away their tears giving each one a special gift out of His love for His children. He also wants to teach them different kinds of lessons, help them through their life, and strengthen them in the hope that they can grow in their spiritual walk.

Where can you go when hurt struck? Can God deliver you? Do you believe that God has power over Satan? Do you trust that suffering can be turned into a blessing for you?

When the shepherd watches over his flock, he does not rest, His eyes need to be on each one of them so no one can take them out from his hand. When one gets hurt, he keeps him close, feeds him, and carries him, until he is strong enough to set him free.

God watches His children constantly and knows what man hides deep in his heart. Nothing can be hidden from Him and He knows the perfect time to intervene. He is merciful and compassionate but He always does what is the best for us in order to cleanse, strengthen, and make us holy.

"Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great king over all the earth. He will subdue the peoples under us, and the nations under our feet" (Psalm 47:1-3).

In the Old Testament, we read in the book of Daniel about three young men who were carried from Jerusalem to the land of Babylon after captivity, Their faith and love towards God never left them. On the contrary, it brought many blessings to them and to others.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, made a great gold image of a god and set it up in the province of Babylon. He sent a word to everyone to come and bow before the image. If anyone refuses, he will be cast immediately into the burning fiery furnace.

The word came to the king that the three young Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, had not paid due in regards bowing before the gold image that the king set up. King Nebuchadnezzar was in a rage and furious to hear that so he commanded to bring them. He ordered them to obey, but the three young Jews refused to worship any one than their true God.

When the king saw their stubbornness, he ordered that the heat of the furnace be increased seven times more than usually so they would cast away. Therefore the furnace was exceedingly hot and the flame of the fire consumed and killed those men who took the three young men to there.

Now the king could not believe his eyes when he saw four men in the furnace dwelling in the midst of the fire and no harm came to them. Thus the king came to the door and called out to them, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here" (Daniel 3:26). When they came out, there was no sign of burns or even the smell of fire on them.

King Nebuchadnezzar said blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trust in Him. A decree was made to protect the people of God who can deliver His people like this.

"I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I cry out to You; save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. I rise before the dawning of the morning, and cry for help; I hope in Your word. My eyes are awake through the night watches that I may meditate on Your word" (Psalm 119:145-148).

Finally, believing and having faith is an important key to solve any unsolvable situation. Yet we must prepare ourselves and do not wait until we fall into tribulations. Instead we must train ourselves to read the Holy Bible, pray, do what is right in the sight of God, and have a relationship with Him. This will help us step by step to know God’s plan for our lives and fill us with peace in the midst of the storm.