Faith through the fire; stillness in the storm.

Isaiah 43:1-3

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

² 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

³ 

For I am the Lord your God.."

Matthew 14:24-31

"But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.'

And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.'

So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous,he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!'

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'

Daniel 3:17-18, 25, 27

"'If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up'...

'Look!' he answered, 'I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God...'

And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them."

God doesn't lose sight of us in the storm.
He allows our faith to be tested so that it can be refined and proven to be pure. 

Faith has no value if it's not tested. 
Just like any product, if it's tested and proved to be faulty, it can't be sold; it has no value. 
Just like gold has no value if it's not refined through fire. 

And the proof of our faith is how it stands through the fire or the storm. 

Faith is not shown in our words, but by what we do. We can proclaim our faith from the rooftops all day long but when the rain and winds come, the true testimony of our faith is in how we walk through the storm. Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17)

Do we have the faith to step out of the boat even when it's stormy? 
Do we have the faith to keep walking even when we can't see through the smoke?

No matter the situation, we know that He walks with us through the fire, and He holds our hand on the fierce waves. He will never leave us or forsake us. He knows the end from the very beginning. 
Though there's chaos, He's still in control. It may not seem like He is in control, but we know that He always has His loving eyes on us.

And in the end, when we look back. When we have gotten to the other side of the lake, or out of the flames and smoke, we see that we had nothing to worry about. Jesus says, "why did you doubt?" 

"Why did you doubt as if I wasn't going to come through in the end just like I always do?'

Instead, put feet to your faith and choose to say "Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

Tribulations brought on by the enemy that are meant to destroy us, because of God's love and grace, end up refining and strengthening us. God is so good that He takes something meant to defeat us, and gives us victory in the end.


Our faith has no value if it's not tested. 
And our faith is proven by how it stands in the fire. 

Sometimes we  step out of the boat, and sometimes we're thrown out, or tossed into the fiery furnace.

Either way, we have the choice to sink in view of the waves, or stand in the midst of the flame. 

1 Peter 1:6-9

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls."

James 1:2-4

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."