Notes And Quotes For Today
The Furnace of Affliction
Don’t ask God to lighten your load – ask Him to broaden your shoulders.
“ Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice; in as much as you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy.” 1st Peter 4:12-13
Though living a more godly life, still the blacksmith who had been born again just a few years ago was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong. One day a friend who was not a christian stopped by to talk to him a while sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said, “ It seemed strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don’t want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God’s help and guidance and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can’t help wondering why that is.”
The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he has thought the same question before. But finally he said, “ You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse’s shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer some more. And this I do until it is finished.” “ But sometimes I find a piece of iron that wouldn’t stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don’t know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse’s shoe.”
He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of the shop. “When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything.” He went on, “ I know that God has been holding me in the fire of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don’t mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simple this: “ Try me in a way you wish, Lord, only don’t throw me on the heap.”
Friends,
- It is much easier to trust when the sun is shining than when the storm is raging.
- Do you know that the jewels of a Christian are his afflictions? You never had an enemy that was worse than Job’s friends. All that affliction let Job with higher conception of God and lower thoughts of himself.
- Yes, great hearts can only be made by great troubles. Joseph’s dungeon was the road to Joseph’s throne; God was with him in prison as well as in prosperity.
- God chastens us not that He may love us, but because He loves us! Bear in mind that the refiner is never very far from the mouth of the furnace when His gold is in the fire.
A story is told of pious and devoted clergyman entering the shop of a prosperous London bookseller, with whom he was on terms of intimate and Christian friendship. He inquired for his friend, and when told that he was at home ,but particularly engaged, , sent a message to him , to the effect that he wanted an interview with him, if but for a few minutes. This message being delivered, the clergyman was invited to walk up-stairs, into the bookseller’s sitting room. He entered the room, and found his friend sitting by his child’s cot. The child was dying, but with the affection strong in death, it had clasped it father’s hand, and was holding it with convulsive grasp. “You are a father yourself,” said the afflicted parent, “ or I should not have allowed you to witness such a scene.”
“Thank God, thank God!” fervently exclaimed the minister, as he instinctively comprehended at a glance the situation of his friend; “ Thank God he has not forgotten you! I have been much troubled on your account, my dear sir. I have been much afraid of you. Things have gone on so well with you for so long a time, you have been so prosperous, that I have been almost afraid that God had forgotten you. But I said to myself, surely God will not forsake such a man as this; will not suffer him to go on in propensity, without some check, some reverse! I see he has not. No; God has not forgotten you.”
Yes, these were the sentiments of the clergyman on the design of affliction. To which his friend thankfully and joyfully responded to them. And the feeling of his heart was, “He hath done all things well.” So Dear believer, Don’t ask God to lighten your load – ask Him to broaden your shoulders! We have so many precious promises we can get hold of in the Holy Writ: one which reads; “Fear not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yes, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
Every man must go through the tunnel of tribulation before he can travel the elevated road of triumph!!
From The Peoples Gospel Hour Staff