Consuming Fire
It was a beautiful cool, crystal clear Memorial Day in the Vail Valley. Most people had been out enjoying the day by either hiking or biking. The day was nearing its end with a service to honor the fallen soldiers at the local park when suddenly it was interrupted. The police officers and firefighters were being called away in the line of duty. A fire somewhere in the Valley took precedence over the ceremony.
A condo building had ignited and was threatening other structures in the area along with the parched hillside behind it. The smoke billowing into the air and flames engulfing the building drew crowds of people to watch in horror and amazement. The inferno was so destructive that it was difficult to determine which complex was aflame. It was just a short time later when we discovered that one of the condos was owned and occupied by a young couple that we know.
Fires can be useful when providing light in the darkness or warmth in the cold. It is also valuable for cooking and purification of metals. But the flip side is that as much as it is helpful in many ways, the destructive powers are also apparent. It can harm animal and human lives and destroy property and the environment.
The Bible states, “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deuteronomy 4:24) At first glance this might seem like a negative statement about a loving God, but as we examine it, we may be surprised.
God used His fire to guide the Israelites through the wilderness and to protect them from harm. He displayed His glory to Moses in the burning bush which was not consumed by the fire, when Moses was being called into service by the holy, living God. In Isaiah 43:2 God promises that He will be with us when we walk through the fire and the flames will not burn us. In Malachi 3:2 we are told that God will refine us through fire. And then in 1 Corinthians 3:12-14 we learn that the consuming fire of God will test our works to see if they are wood, hay or stubble or if they are lasting in God’s eyes. These things show us that God loves us, cares about us and wants the best for us, but it also shows that if we need it He will turn up the heat in our lives to draw us closer to Himself.
Fire can be a terrible thing, but God can and does use it for good. The first Facebook post by my friend who lost everything in the fire was “The Lords mercies are new every morning.” And the second was, “The devil has NO foothold on my family. I will rejoice in the Lord always.” This beautiful young woman’s faith is being tested and she is proving that it is pure gold.
Thank you Lord for your protection on the lives of that precious family and the positive witness that they are having to so many in this Valley.
1 Peter 1:7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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