22 Mar, 2011
Wildfires
As I drove across town at sunset tonight, I could barely see the mountains on the horizon. At first I thought there must be a storm moving in, but then seeing the stark white contrast against the hazy gray hills I realized it was not weather but wildfire that was causing my dim outlook. It has been a dry end to Winter, and with the swift breezes of Spring blowing in, wildfire season is in full swing in the Rockies. News channels post progress on where the fires are, how well (or even if) they are contained, how many buildings and homes are in danger, and often how many people have been evacuated in the face of danger. Speculation as to whether the fire was started by natural causes like lightning or by human fault or foul play splash the front pages. And everyone in the region, whether they believe in God or not, prays for rain.
1 Peter 1:6-7
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
What does God’s Story scripture teach us about being refined by fire?
There are times when God allows us to be put through the fire, through hardships and difficult times, just as a goldsmith puts his most precious metal into the fire in order to burn away the impurities. Those impurities come to the surface and they do not look pretty at the time. But the end result is something that is even more beautiful than before. After the drama of a wildfire, it is rare that we catch a glimpse of what continues to go on over the affected land. The burned areas, which were often overcrowded with underbrush and dead branches, spring back and are covered with new life. Given enough time, they return to an even more beautiful state than they were before the fire.
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture to my life?
Wildfires can be devastating. But once the fire is out, the burned land experiences nourishment from the ashes and results in new and abundant growth and restoration. Is this how you view your own trials? Do you see hard times as an opportunity for God to burn away things in your life that He doesn’t want to be there? Will you become like an enriched soil, ready for new growth?
How can I connect today’s God’s Story scripture and my story to others?
Are you in the midst of a wildfire in your life? Do you know someone who is? How are you showing that these trials are an opportunity to “prove the genuineness of your faith”? Perhaps you need to acknowledge to someone or give someone hope that this wildfire does not have to be without purpose, but that it may be God’s way of refining you into something more pure and beautiful.
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