Furnace of Affliction

Furnace of Affliction

Before we dive into today's sermon, I have a funny story for you. A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon. "How do you know what to say?" he asked. "Why, God tells me", the father replied. The boy looked amazed. "Then why do you keep crossing things out?"

Humorous as it may be, the boy’s question brings us to today’s topic, "The Furnace of Affliction". Sometimes we may ask God why we are going through difficult times and why it seems like things are being crossed out of our lives.

Our foundational scripture comes from Isaiah 48:10: "See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."

This verse suggests that God uses our trials and tribulations—our furnace of affliction—as a means of refining us. The process may be painful, but it's intended to purify us, much like silver is refined in a furnace to remove its impurities.

Consider the story of Job, a man of great faith and integrity who lost everything he had—his wealth, his family, and his health. Yet, despite the intense furnace of affliction, Job held onto his faith. In Job 23:10, he declares, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

Job understood that his suffering was a test, a furnace that had the potential to purify him and make him come forth as gold.

American minister and author A.W. Tozer once said, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply." God uses our pain, our suffering, and our furnace of affliction to shape us and prepare us for His blessing.

Another story that beautifully illustrates this is that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, as recorded in Daniel 3. Despite the king's decree, they refused to bow down to the golden image. As a result, they were thrown into a fiery furnace, but they remained unscathed, and not even their clothes had the smell of fire. Why? Because God was with them in the furnace.

The same God who was with them in the furnace is with us today in our furnace of affliction. He doesn't promise us a life free from trials, but He promises to be with us in the midst of those trials. As it says in Isaiah 43:2, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

Our faith, like gold, is more precious than perishable things and needs to be purified through the furnace of affliction. Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:6-7, "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed."

So, brothers and sisters, let us remember that when we find ourselves in the furnace of affliction, God is with us. He is refining us, purifying us, and making us come forth as gold. It's in the furnace that our faith is proven genuine, bringing glory to God.

Let's pray: "Dear God, thank You for the assurance that You are with us in our furnace of affliction. Help us to understand that the trials we face are refining us and making us stronger in our faith. Grant us the strength and courage to withstand the heat, knowing that You are by our side and that the outcome will be for our good and Your glory. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."

British missionary Amy Carmichael once said, "Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you keep your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clarity of spirit, which is life and peace. In that stillness, you will know what His will is."

Our furnace of affliction can be transformed into a furnace of refinement if we keep our souls on God, if we trust Him, and if we refuse to be hurried and pressed by our circumstances.

As we go into this new week, let us be encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Even in the furnace of affliction, God is working for our good.

May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Go forth and have a blessed week, church!