"...We went through fire and flood,
but You brought us to a place of great abundance."
Psalm 66:12
The underlined phrase describes exactly what I am going through right now. At first, reading the passage didn't really register something noteworthy to me, except for the fact that after going through fire and flood, God will bring me to a place of great abundance. I so want to be there!
During my quiet time, God led me to the words through fire and flood, which made me think, surely God is not a sadistic person to make us go through these things for nothing. Even Jesus said that believers will go through trials, and James said that the testing of our faith produces perseverance.
So I asked God, "WHY? Though I can't understand most of the things that are going on in my life right now, can you please explain to me this part of this verse?".
Taking a pen and an index card, I wrote the words fire and flood, and waited:
FIRE: When metals go through the fire, impurities are removed from it. Fire purifies, so what does that have to do with me? Being pure means without mixture - that's what integrity is about. Going through FIRE will make me refined in my walk with Him.
FLOOD: Now this one was very tough for me to understand. A question popped in to my mind, "What happens in a flood?".
Thinking about it I answered, it clears away unstable things. Floods sweep away anything that is not strong enough to withstand its force.
Which led me to the story that Jesus told about the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27), by building a stronger foundation no matter how the rain poured and the winds blew the house will still remain standing. When a flood comes it clears away stuff that are weak, and after a flood we begin to be wise on what will hold up, and we also strengthen/reinforce the stuff that have remained.
As a believer, I can choose to build my foundation strong and stable, so when the flood comes, I will stand steadfast with faith.
Understanding through fire and flood gave more insight on the next part of the verse on great abundance. Going through fire and flood prepares me to receive a great blessing from God!
Of course the prospect of going through fire and flood is not really very appealing, but once again, I am reminded of what God had said through Isaiah:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not flow over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The fire will not destroy you.
Notice it says WHEN and not IF , yet I still have the assurance that God indeed will be with me!
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