We were on our way back from our hike along the creek. As we turned a corner I noticed a sight I had not “seen” on our way out. A tree with a canopy full of leaves that had a burned out base. The trunk had obviously been damaged by fire at one point, but it still stood tall, filling the forest with its leaves.
I had to stop and study the beautiful “wound” of that tree. The gradations of bronze and gold from the blackened charred base to the thick bark fascinated me as an artist. I was awed by the fact that the tree had not only survived, it was thriving in spite of the fire it had been through. Holy Spirit whispered, “It’s like life. In spite of the fire of life, My children can thrive.”
Have you been through the fire? Has the enemy tried to kill your dream, steal your joy, or destroyed your trust? Take heart Dear One! God’s promise is that He will turn your trial into your testimony, He is with you through the fire, and He will use the fire to purify you for His good purpose.
Whatever you have walked through or are walking through, trust that God’s hand remains in your life and He has placed you exactly where you are for His divine purpose. Genesis chapters 37-50 tell the story of Joseph. Joseph lived through years as a slave and prisoner before he became a prince. Through those years he learned humility, compassion, as well as the administrative ability to be a successful leader. God used the fire of slavery and prison to create a leader. What his brothers meant for his demise, God used to train him.
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:19-20
What the enemy intends for your harm, God will use for your good.
God was with Joseph through his “fiery” years to serve His divine purpose. Are you feeling the heat of the fire right now? God promises to be with you just as He was with Joseph and three young men who literally found themselves in the fire.
You might know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace found in Daniel 3. They were put in the furnace because they refused to worship the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Not only were they protected from the fire, onlookers saw a fourth man in the furnace with them. Many theologians consider that fourth man to be a pre-incarnate Jesus. I love to think of it this way: no matter what fires I face in my journey, Jesus is with me keeping me safe and guiding me to the next steps. The image of Jesus in the fire is one to hold on to when you find yourself in the flames.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2
Just as God used Joseph’s fiery years to train him for his future, our Lord and Creator uses the fiery seasons in our life to shape and form us. He uses our difficult situations to burn off what is unnecessary for our purpose and refines the traits that are needed to fulfill our destiny.
God uses what we consider a ruined past to bring forth a story, a ministry, or a connection that couldn’t happen without the scars of a fiery past. Our job is to submit to His refining, ask what we can learn in the process, and trust that He is with us whenever the enemy turns up the heat, knowing that God will bring us through and out of the fire.
When you face the flames of trials and affliction, ask the Lord what it is He is trying to remove—or burn off—in your life. A silversmith watches for his image to be reflected in the piece he is refining in the fire. What element of your life might God be trying to burn off in order that you reflect His image even clearer than you do already?
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. Isaiah 48:10
Whatever your past looks like, God has used it and will continue to use it for His divine purpose. What looks like a ruined life because of your past, God will use for His purpose and your good. Like the beautiful scar on that tree trunk, God uses what you have been through to bring beauty and depth to your life and your story.
A final note about that tree I came across. I didn’t notice it on our way out to the creek, it was on our way back when it stopped me in my tracks as God opened my eyes to see the beauty of the “ruined” tree.
What feels like a “ruined” life—like a huge wound visible for all to see is actually a mark of your beauty, resilience, and strength.
God opens the eyes of others to see the beauty of a life lived through and after the fire. Your past ruins haven’t ruined you, they have made you stronger and ready for the Master’s good purpose.