Don’t Come Out of the Oven Half-Baked…

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:11-12 NKJV

Today, we are looking at the final part of our trial, the fire. In previous posts, we saw our Comforter, the Holy Spirit in the wind. We examined how the trials that break us really do make us, and now we see the purifying process of the fire.

The last few mornings have brought us a taste of the autumn temperatures to come. Soon crimson and gold leaves will carpet the ground. Fall was my favorite time to bake cookies. Since I cannot see if my cookies are done, I would remove the tray from the oven and carefully touch a cookie to check its tenderness. Many times, the delicacies would fool me and after a few moments of cooling, they needed to return to the oven. Otherwise, they would fall apart.

The same happens with Christians as we walk through the fiery trials of life. We pray, trusting God to remove us from that oven, but often, we prematurely pray ourselves out of the fire. A half-baked cookie.

When that happens, we are just like the cookies I had to submit to the blazing oven temps for a second time. Either God puts us back into the fire, or we lose our blessing.

Strength and endurance are two of those blessings. A perfect cookie may crumble, but it doesn’t fall apart. In order to obtain His strength, we go through things. Hard things. Those experiences prepare us for the next time. Yes, there’s always a next time.

Another blessing we receive through our fire is the burning off of impurities. When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego walked in the furnace with the Son of God, they only lost one thing, the ropes that bound them. We live in a world that taints our minds, and many times, a walk through the fire is necessary to burn that bondage away. And we will come forth as gold.

Perhaps, the greatest blessing we miss when we fail to embrace our fires is the divine personal encounter with God. After the wind, after the earthquake, and after the fire, came the still, small voice. Elijah’s divine encounter.

If we can hold onto God’s mighty hand, we will make it through the fire. We will reap the blessings only the flames of pain and affliction can bring.

As you traverse these difficult days, hold onto God’s precious promises. Pray them. Speak them over yourself. But it has to come in His time. Let’s commit to pray like overcomers, not over complainers. Pray like the victors we already are and not victims. Pray like the conquerors God has created and not the conquered.

Embrace your fire and enter your blessing.

Heavenly Father, nothing enters our lives without Your permission. For that, we are blessed, even though the fires we travel through are mind-boggling. Equip us to embrace our fires so we may experience a deeper relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

DIG DEEPER

Read 1 Kings 19:1-14.

HIKING THE TRAIL

How can I pray for you as you embrace your fire today? Please comment. I would be honored to pray for you.

Originally posted on September 11, 2020 @ 10:13 am