Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Through the Fire

Job went through adversities and suffered emotionally and spiritually. He suffered the loss of all of his loved ones, wealth, and reputation. People who were once awed by his position and wisdom at the city gates now mocked him. He lost all of his physical prowess and health, becoming sickly with running sores. The one who was the counselor had to be counseled by others about his own sin and ineptness. In all of this he wouldn't bow but took everyone on and said, "There's no unrighteousness in me." Finally he puts his hand over his mouth, and God reveals the condition of his heart. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5).

Until you've been through the fire, you've only heard about God. Confidence in the midst of the battle--though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, it won't come nigh you--only comes from having seen the Lord. It's all hearing until you've been in the fire. How good the trials are, yet how badly they hurt. The trials bring about death. Many of us love to shout and proclaim the great promise in Romans that we've been raised with Him in the power of His resurrection. Before you can be raised with Him, you have to be buried with Him. There is no resurrection without death. To experience resurrection power there has to be death to self, death to self-confidence, and death to self-righteousness. There has to be an absolute dependence upon God. That's what trials are all about.

The harder your head, the bigger the trial needs to be. Some people have little trials because they're more pliable than you are. It takes less heat. I've learned a lot from the trials I've been through. I've had my share, but I need more for there's way too much alloy in my life. Alloys are not all bad. Copper is not that bad; it has a purpose. Copper has multiple uses, such pennies or wiring. How about some iron? Iron is good. Iron sharpens iron. But it all has to be refined to bring about the pure gold that remains.

"...The Lord turned the captivity of Job..." (Job 42:6). Job was now free to pray for his friends. What does that tell us about trials? Trials come in our lives so that we can be touched with the feelings of others' infirmities and comfort with the same comfort wherewith we are comforted. It's hard to have compassion for people in areas in which we're so effective and efficient. God deals with us in those areas where we're so effective in the natural. We parry this, and we parry that. We're able to handle this, and we're able to answer that question. God is trying to work that area of self-righteousness out of us; but it won't go because of our ability to cope. Then all of a sudden, He says, "I'm going to have to break him." After being broken, your whole perspective changes about those who have struggled with those areas all of their life. Now there's humility and an ability to minister the grace of God. Trials are good for us. As the Scripture tells us, we have need of patience (Heb. 10:36).

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