Refining Fire
Song of the Three Young Men 2-4
Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise;
and glorious is your name for ever!
For you are just in all you have done;
all your works are true and your ways right,
and all your judgements are true.”
Do you ever feel like you’re in the middle of a burning fire? This isn’t a weather event where we complain about the heat and humidity. The world can feel so chaotic, that the image of a “dumpster fire” is often used to describe this feeling.
This kind of fire is not a refining fire, hoping to perfect what has been created. It is meant to destroy. We live in a world where anger, hatred, indifference, and bullying masquerade as a refining fire. These fires feed into the chaos, harming God’s creation and the heart of humanity for the sake of power.
It’s outrageous to imagine someone willingly going into the middle of fire and chaos. We tend to avoid risk-taking and things that may harm us, so to imagine stepping into the fire is terrifying.
We are compelled to seek out the fire that may harm and destroy. Somehow, we give thanks to God for the opportunity to be broken and shattered by the fire, because we know this isn’t the end. Our story continues in this time of discomfort and danger, awaiting the journey’s end.
Yet here we are, listening to the roar of the fire engulf us and all of creation. We are overwhelmed, and the example we have for this chaos is to pray and thank God for countless blessings. Nothing seems right, and it’s exactly what we need.
We give thanks, not for the chaos, but for God’s steady presence with us. We praise God for the comfort offered even in the noise of the maelstrom. It is this love, grace, and mercy that are refined, even in the fires of destruction. This is a season of refinement, even with the world seemingly on fire and driven by chaos and fueled by hatred.
This season, we are refined by fire, breaking, and sacrifice. We give thanks, not for the pain, but for the grace and mercy of God that gives us the strength to continue. We offer prayers, not as simple platitudes or offerings, but as pieces of our heart to be broken open, refined, and offered back as abiding love and mighty aid. We give thanks to God and persevere.
prayer
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.