The Furnace of Faith

"But if I say, 'I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name," His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones , I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."
Jeremiah 20:9

The human experience is not without its share of disappointment or ache. In this world there is grief. In this world there is peril. In this world there is strife. And the internal tsunami that ensues from difficult ordeals often causes us to shed many bitter tears. The followers of God are not immune to this state of suffering. We will find ourselves immersed in doubt or despair at one point or another. In such moments God's ways tend to seem too mysterious. Too complex. Too complicated. Too slow to resolve. In the crises, the furnaces, of life we are tempted to lead with raw feelings rather than resolute faith. 

The battle to let emotion overtake mankind is evident throughout Scripture. One prime example is Jeremiah. This great prophet remained mightily committed to proclaiming God's messages throughout his earthly sojourn even though it came at a steep price.  He was mocked and maligned. He was threatened and tortured. He was ignored and insulted. And all because he would not compromise the truth of the prophecies and precepts that the Lord had instructed him to declare. But as valiant a spirit as Jeremiah possessed he was still prone to despondency. And we see this underscored in Jeremiah 20:7. In the NIV translation it reads, "O Lord you deceived me, and I was deceived." This complaint was a result of a recent incident in which Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks for conveying God's message (Jeremiah 20:2).   

Jeremiah's frustration and utter sense of surrender are understandable given what he had undergone. God's will and activity are always just and right, but it is often hard to perceive this to be true when pain is coursing through one's body. Realize that Jeremiah was a loner in many regards. The people of Judah had long forgotten to observe God's decrees or exercise hearts of allegiance. Jeremiah harkened the people to return to the Lord or face the horrible wrath of divine judgement through Babylon. And this communication was not well-received. Jeremiah was highly unpopular with the religious and civil establishment. Therefore, the brave prophet was belittled day after day. This can wear down even the strongest of souls. And Jeremiah voiced his discouragement, going so far as to say that His work for God brought him reproach continually (Jeremiah 20:8).    

But even as Jeremiah levied his hardship he knew that God's words had to be shared. In fact, Jeremiah said that the Lord's message was like a fire in his bones that demanded to be released (Jeremiah 20:9). Soak that in for a moment. Jeremiah was still nursing fresh wounds. He had incurred bruises and bloody sores from a beating. His body was ravaged with pain brought about from a brief stint in stocks. And yet Jeremiah still found the courage to praise God. He enunciated the hurt to the Lord, but then he entrusted it to the Lord, the Healer. This fact reveals that conflict can either cripple your faith, or it can confirm your faith. Jeremiah did the latter. The prophet was repeatedly thrust into the furnace of life, but every time he held tightly to his trust in God. This example is needed and necessary for every generation of believer.

A little over three years ago my wife and I found ourselves immersed in a furnace of life. Our second child, Abby, was continually having problems with one of her eyes not draining properly. It was determined that our daughter had a clogged tear duct. The only corrective action was a surgical procedure called a tear duct probe. The thought of our otherwise healthy newborn, who was just nine months old at the time, having to be sedated and anesthetized for a relatively minor operation was hard to absorb. But since our daughter had suffered from clogged tear ducts for nearly the entirety of her brief life, my wife and I knew it needed to be addressed so we scheduled the surgery immediately thereafter.

The morning of the procedure was a series of unfortunate events. Unexpectedly, a downpour of rain hit our city. In fact, it rained so hard that the interstate highway we were traveling on was partially shut down because one section of the passageway was flooded. We were at a standstill for almost an hour, and eventually had to be rerouted by backroads. While at a standstill, our daughter began to cry and wail, and as any parent can attest to the sound of a screaming child inside a car is not wholly enjoyable. We called the surgery center to let them know that we were running behind due to the road conditions. By the time we arrived at the medical facility we were well past our expected surgery appointment. After we hastily checked in a nurse frantically came out to the waiting room and ushered my wife and I to another area of the building. She  then promptly took Abby away for the procedure. 

My wife and I looked at each other with a sense of concern. Getting Abby into the operating room was rushed because of the surgical team's tight schedule, which meant that my wife and I did not have adequate time to be with Abby before she was put into the care of the medical staff. So many discouraging, disabling worries overwhelmed me. What if something goes wrong? What if Abby dies as a result of the procedure? What if Abby has an adverse reaction during the course of the operation, and is forced to be dealt some life-long debilitating condition? I felt so helpless knowing that I could not be there in the operating room with Abby, nor do what the well-trained medical staff could do. After about thirty minutes of surrendering to destructive anxieties I was overcome with a sense of God's calming presence. The Holy Spirit was quietly, but assuredly, renewing me with uplifting considerations. Isn't God greater than my circumstances? Isn't God supreme and sovereign? Isn't God entirely in control of each and every situation? Therefore what good does worry do, except to weaken my faith in God?

As it turned out, Abby made it through the procedure without any problems, and never experienced any clogged tear ducts again. But the episode stayed with me because it reminded me that the Lord's presence is authoritative and affirming. And the episode helped me understand that my day-to-day trust in God's lordship should aptly prepare me for the furnace of life. After all, how can faith really be viewed as faith unless it is put to the test? Jeremiah displayed resolute faith in the furnace of life. May I strive to do the same.