In one of his letters to Daniel West, John Newton
talks about trials. His friend had been in the “furnace” recently, and Newton addresses that.
“I hope you have much to say of the grace, care, and skill of the great Refiner, who watched over you; and that you have lost nothing but dross.”
If you have been in a trial recently, you may have trouble hearing that. My family’s recent trials were far from pleasant. As we went through the furnace it was had to see all the grace, care and skill of the Refiner. But I can see it more clearly in retrospect. Pain, physical or emotional, has a way of blinding your eyes.
This afternoon I was listening to Daniel Amos Live at Cornerstone 2000. Terry Taylor, the lead singer and song writer of the band, shared that it had been a hard year. But that is when it gets back to the main thing- intimacy with Jesus.
“Let this experience be treasured up in your hearts for the use of future times.”
Yesterday’s trials are meant to assist us in tomorrow’s trials. “Remember” is a frequently used word in Deuteronomy 8. Israel needed to remember their time in the wilderness, and God’s steadfast love there. We can’t just move on, but take lessons with us. We have to call His past faithfulness to mind when we begin to enter the furnace again.
Many of those trials have to do with our “weak spots”. God is purifying us of habitual sin (which he first forgave in Christ).
“You know your weak side; endeavor to set a double guard of prayer there.”
We should be praying about our weaknesses and the traps we commonly fall into. This is being pro-active. But this does not mean we will be trouble-free. Troubles come upon us all. But “one draught of the river of pleasure at God’s right hand will make us forget our sorrows for ever.”
“… that when changes are either feared or felt, we may not be like the people of the world, who have no hope, no refuge, no throne of grace, but may be enabled to glorify our God in the fire, and give proof that his grace is sufficient for us in every state. It is neither comfortable for ourselves, nor honorable to our profession, to start at every shaking leaf. If we are sensible of this, mourn over your infirmities before the Lord, and faithfully strive in prayer against the fear that easily besets us; He can, and He will, strengthen us with strength in our souls, and make us more than conquerors, according to his sure promise.”
What a great section. His counsel is regarding the fear of loss as well. Living in such fear dishonors our God. It is born of unbelief, considering his grace insufficient. Faith looks to him to face the unface-able. Faith draws near to the throne of grace. Unbelief looks to self and falls into despair.
Many people in the last few years have lived in fear. Fear of job loss, home loss, loss of health and so many things. I watch people become paralyzed with fear, forgetting there is a throne of grace and our Great High Priest who sits on it.
“A proneness to idolatry is our bosom sin.”
It is idolatry that brings this fear and loss into our lives. It is idolatry that makes these times of trial so painful. God is ripping the idols from our hands. The loss of them is painful precisely because they mean too much to us.
I watched the kids today mourn over a stuffed animal. CavSon had it in his bed last night. It belongs to CavGirl, who took it back this morning. He was so upset he was unable to follow my instruction concerning his diaper. His idolatry produced disobedience in addition to the disobedience that is idolatry.
Then I said to share. CavGirl didn’t to share and had a meltdown, retreating to her room. He had moved on to his cars. She came back down, and I addressed her selfishness and the call to love. Then I whispered, “he’s not playing with it, you don’t have to share now.” Yet in her persisting idolatrous cries, she refused to play with the stuffed animal.
Oh, how blind we are when idols capture our hearts. Oh, what pain we invite into our lives, unnecessarily when we give our hearts to idols.
Cavman Considers 
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