ISAIAH 48:9-11 – For my name’s sake I defer my anger; for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION. No one likes to suffer. We are resistant to pain and affliction of any kind. Whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual, we simply don’t want any part of being hurt. And Christians are included. Today’s scripture tells us straight-up we are going to go into God’s furnace of affliction, and it has important purpose – to refine us. But what is this refining that must occur? It is the burning or purging away of everything not like Christ in us so that He might be formed in us. When it comes to the many trips into the Refiner’s Fire of affliction, we need to grasp three truths if we are to benefit from the stay.
First the refiner’s fire of affliction is one of God’s choicest means of purging us from selfishness. How so? Think about what we crave for and pursue. Comfort, ease, and to have things our way. God won’t allow such a life for His children. He knows the sinful poison of selfishness in our hearts is not easily purged and replaced with Christ’s selflessness. It takes suffering to learn the obedience necessary to do this work just as Jesus learned obedience through suffering – In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:7-8).
The second truth to embrace is to view all sufferings as God sees it – a gift from Him like faith in His Son is – For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29). The words in this verse “been granted” literally means bestowed as a gift. Learn to see suffering as God’s gifts of love, and watch how sensitive, teachable, and pliable our hearts become and are maintained – all because of the furnace of the Refiner’s affliction.
A third truth from the furnace of affliction that helps us prosper from such painful trips is to remember who is with us in the furnace. It will make all the difference. Remember Daniel’s three friends – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? They refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image and false worship so he threw them into a fiery furnace to destroy them, but they were not alone – And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:23-25). As Jesus was with them in their fiery furnace, so shall He be with us. Rest in His promise and let the furnace of affliction do its wonderful work in us.
PRAYER: “Father, help me not rebel when You place me in the furnace of affliction to purge my ugly self.”
QUOTE: “Trips into God’s furnace of affliction will be many because there is much of self needing to be purged.”
In the affection of Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jim