Fireproof Faith
Why do some Christians live disillusioned and discouraged? Why do some Christians walk away from their faith altogether? There may be several different reasons, but they likely all relate to what C.S. Lewis called, “the problem of pain.” We’ve all experienced it. Pain. Suffering. Disappointment. Heartache.
A loved one lost.
A dream deferred.
A heart broken.
A rejection.
A betrayal.
Things just not working out as we’d hoped.
The problem of pain is an issue I’ve thought about a lot this past year and half, as I’ve walked through storm after storm, trial after trial. I’ve wondered what God may be up to in my life. There are probably thousands of different things He’s up to, but I believe one of them is this: upgrading my faith.
So I’ve been examining my faith. What do I really believe?
Do I believe God exists? Yes.
Do I believe He has all power? Yes.
Do I believe He loves me? Yes.
Do I still believe He loves me when I’m hurting and can’t see the end of the hurt?
…maybe?
You see, that’s where things can get tricky. We can have faith in God’s power and be uncertain about His plan at the same time.
We believe God could have prevented this hurtful situation.
But He didn’t.
Why didn’t He?
It can be hard to feel loved when we’re hurting…especially when our faith is in need of an upgrade.
So what kind of upgrade does my faith need? I wondered. Romans 10:17 says “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” I happened to hear the Word of Christ from a certain preacher one day, and light bulbs started going off in my mind. My faith needs to be upgraded to fireproof faith.
We have faith that God can prevent us from entering the fire. And He can and does prevent some fiery situations in our lives. But we must have fireproof faith for the times when He allows us to go through the fire.
We see an example of fireproof faith in Daniel 3:16-25 when our brothers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were threatened with a fiery furnace if they did not bow to the king’s idol:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Did God step in and deliver them after their bold declaration? NOPE! Let’s keep reading…
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” 25 He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had great faith and made a bold declaration. And what was God’s response? He let them get thrown in the fiery furnace anyway!
God did not prevent them from entering the fire. Instead, He preserved them in the fire.
So even though they were in the fire, they were also in His presence.
I don’t know about you, but I’m in some fire right now. If you are too, what would it look like for God to meet us in the fire? Let’s be on the look out for Him, because He is indeed with us. And if He is allowing us to go through the fire, it has to be for a good purpose—which is ultimately for us to look more like Jesus.
The irony of fireproof faith is that the only way to develop it is to go through fiery seasons.
And not just to go through them, but to grow through them.
It’s not a win if we survive the fiery season, but our faith does not.
Only God and you can know exactly how fireproofing your faith should look. If you’re in a fiery season right now, these are some good questions to ask God and meditate on:
God, how are You meeting me in this fiery season?
God, what would You like to add to me and remove from me in this season?
Praying for fireproof faith and victory for you and me, my friend.
Your sister-friend,
Leah
