Snatched into Safety
…Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
(Zechariah 3:2, NKJV)
Imagine with me that we have lit a bonfire which is burning beautifully giving warmth all round. The hearts are merry and the presence of the large fire enhances the celebratory atmosphere. To keep the fire going, we add on more logs so that the fire does not go off. After a while, we need to put the fire off and so we pull out the burning logs in an effort to quench the flames. Slowly, the fire goes off as the logs are removed and left to go cold. The charred logs are the only reminder of the fire that was, they have been saved from total burn. They continue to be evidence of the fire that burnt.
There are times in life that we go through situations that leave us like the charred logs. We go through difficult moments of life, some which we have no idea how we shall survive, for example being involved in a fatal accident, an illness, loss, disasters and others. We look back at those moments of agony and pain and we know, we were only snatched from a fire which could have burnt us alive. Our reference verse reminds us of the saving grace of God which plucks us from the fires of life. In the verses preceding we read of Joshua standing accused and wearing dirty clothes, but the angel of the Lord issues the words of the verse above. Yes, Joshua is guilty as accused but the angel reminds the accuser that Joshua has been saved from the fire of judgement by the hand of God. Brethren, that is what God does with us. We are not saved or preserved by God because of our good deeds, but it is His mercies upon us that save us so that the situations of our lives do not fully destroy us. Like the charred logs, we live with the reminder of God’s grace upon us, we do not just see the fire that burnt but we also see the freedom that we received from utter destruction.
The bible gives us examples of people that were saved from danger by the miracle of God. Daniel, because of his faith in God, was one thrown in the lions den and all expected him to be eaten up by the hungry lions. We read that the lions did not touch him as the hand of God protected (Daniel 6:22). Shadrack Meshach and Abednego were literally thrown into a fire but one like the Son of Man joined the fire and so they did not burn. It is recorded that when they came out of the fire, they did not even smell like smoke (Daniel 3:25-27). Beloved, our faith in God does not exempt us from the struggles of life, at times it is our faith that makes us suffer. Whichever way it happens, we know that our God will deliver us into safety. Prophet Isaiah encourages us that when we pass through the waters, God will be with us and the waters will not overflow us, In times that we walk through the fires, we will not be scorched (Isaiah 43:2). This tells us that we shall go through these situations, however, we shall still come out on the other side. We go through we do not settle in the fire. May we be encouraged as we pass through the burning fires of life, knowing that in the end, we shall overcome. The scars that we carry from the battles, stand as evidence of the hand of God snatched us out, just in time so that we were not destroyed. Hold on in faith, for the end is in your favour as our Father will not give up on you.
Thoughts:
What fires are you going through?
How have the scars of the past encouraged your faith?
Which memoirs of victory do you carry in your life?