So, you’re going through a tough time, or maybe you’re not. Perhaps your life is going smooth with no bumps, twists, or radical turns. Perhaps your tough time in life has already occurred. Perhaps you are in that natural condition of being a token Christian, and you have no desire to grow beyond “normal” church attendance and the occasional “Lord, I need Your help today” prayer. Regardless of where you are in your spiritual life, there is one thing that you and I need to constantly remind ourselves of – God is God.
God uses suffering to shape and mold His people into the men and women He desires them to be. Those who are content to live life as normal are missing out on the wonderful blessing of the Crucible. I will not lie to you. The Crucible hurts, bad! But, it is there in the Crucible that God refines His child to make him or her into the brilliant treasures and masterpieces of faith.
I have learned in my short life that God uses the Crucible to initially to get our attention – whether it is to correct sin or otherwise. Once He has corrected the sin, He then uses the Crucible to teach us a very important lesson (since He already has our attention, it only makes sense that He would use the opportunity to teach). That lesson that He teaches us is crucial to our continued growth in Christ. That lesson is simply that He is God.
Because God is God He can do whatever He desires to bring us to holiness before Him. In God’s declaration to Moses, He stated that He is the Existing One. God has never had a beginning and will never have an end. There is no force that will destroy God. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalm 90:2)
Because God is God, He is the Sovereign One. He accomplishes His will – every time! He can raise up and put down (Jermiah 18:1-10). Because God is God He is Holy. He is far superior to any god man can imagine. He is untouchable by sin. “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3). He is the Creator and Sustainer of this creation. He is the Righteous One. He is my Father. He is my strong Tower, my present Defense in time of trouble. He is the One who rides the fiery cherub to my defense. God is my solid Foundation. He is the Song in the night. He is the Joy in the morning. He is the Great Faithfulness. He is the Giver of fresh, morning mercies. He is the One who gives me hinds’ feet to safely tread the heights. He is my Fortress. He is my Safety. He is my All in all. He is the One who sent His own Son to rescue me from the curse of sin.
I find that Jesus Christ is my Kinsman Redeemer. He is my Savior. He is my Lord of lords. He is my King of kings. He is my Great Physician. He is the Bread of Life, the living Water, the True Vine. He is the Great Shepherd, and the Great Protector and Lover of my Soul. He is the Lily of the Valley. He is the bright, Morning Star. He is my faithful Friend who is closer than a brother. He is my steadfast Hope. He is the Firstborn from the dead. He is the Revelation of God, the Final Word. He is the Lion of Judah. He is the Great I Am. He is the Alpha and Omega. Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of my Faith. He is the Anchor of my soul. He is my solid Foundation. He is my Help in time in need. He is my Comfort and the One who sent the Comforter. He is my Sacrifice. He is my Sufficiency. He is my Confidence. He is my Grace. He is my God.
In the Crucible we have the opportunity to meet the One who demanded all in His sacrifice and demands all from those whom He has saved. In the Crucible we come to understand Christ Jesus. For those who wish to know Christ without the suffering, you will miss knowing the Great Rabbi. He told his disciples that to be a disciple of Christ meant suffering. Paul stated that suffering was a part of knowing Christ. If you truly wish to know Christ intimately and fully, prepare for the pain. Embrace the pain as the tool God uses to shape us into Christ likeness. In the end we will bring to Him all the glory due His name as He shapes us into a trophy of His Grace.
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB)
