Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Summary: We have been called by God to get in the game. As soon as we step on the field, the enemy wants to take us out. This is called the ”fiery ordeal.”
“Hey, you!” the coach yells. “Yes, YOU! Get in there!”
You look up from the bench in disbelief. Your eyes confirm what your ears have heard. The coach is looking directly at you. Everyone else turns to look, too. Not at the coach, but the one the coach is looking at.
In the space of half a second, a thousand emotions fly through your head: Fear, excitement, hope, wonder. The question, “Why me?” gnaws at the corner of your mind, but it doesn’t matter now. You have been called. It is your turn to get in the game.
Does it matter what the game is? Not really. It is only a metaphor for life. The real story is you right now. You have been called. God wants you to get in the game. Hardly believing that the Creator of the Universe has invited you to play, you step out onto the field and — BLAM! You get hit by a fiery ordeal right out of nowhere.
It is confusing at first. We don’t usually understand the game, the rules, or the field of play. We are disoriented because so many of the players are invisible. We can’t see God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit with our eyes. Neither can we see the Enemy or his minions with our eyes. But we can feel the ordeal.
The minute you accept God’s invitation to join in and believe, you come under attack. Suddenly, you are no longer on the sidelines. Instead of observing, you have chosen a side. Yes, you chose the winning side because God’s Word tells us how it comes out. The problem is that the game is still on. Satan is still on the loose. All of this is very real.
In fact, a benefit of the fiery ordeal is that it confirms what you already know in your heart. There is a reason to trust God. There is a reason to believe His Word. This is a life or death situation. Something strange has indeed happened. The fiery ordeal has become your friend. It assures you that you made the right choice.
Application: Get in the game. Don’t be surprised by the fiery ordeal. Embrace it!
Food for Thought: What does a fiery ordeal look like to you?
A Fiery Ordeal looks big and bad to me. A mixture of pride, lust, temptation with a big bag of emotional guilt. Something that hits me hard from behind like my past. Leaving scars, making my eyeballs sweat. Making me question myself if I’m able to play on this team am I worthy of this team. How did I end up so far behind everyone else on the team. But when I get hit I know it will make me stronger as long as I dont go all the way down. I only go down to my knees. Letting my teammates help me up carrying me when need be, me encouraging them any way I can giving it all I have. Hopefully being able to get a few of the other team to switch sides because our Coach is way better and has an awsome after game party.
Tim,
One of Satan’s favorite tricks is to get us to question whether or not we are “worthy” to be on Jesus’ team. The answer is, “Nope.” None of us are. In that sense, we are all the same before God. The Good News is that God’s redemptive love embraces all of us. He is more concerned that we are “willing” to be saved rather than any question of worthiness.
I believe a fiery ordeal (perhaps even the word “trial” could be used in place of the word “ordeal”) actually turns into testimony. As Tim notes, it is a mixture of pride, lust, guilt, and temptation, but I also would add hurt, bad decisions, illness, etc. Sometimes, it might even be a person, a Jonah, that creates the ordeal and that Jonah needs to be traded to another team.
While trials or fiery ordeals are not pleasant, they allow us to share in the same suffering as Christ, while bring us out stronger on the other side (if we allow it to) (just as James 1:2-3 states).
I just had a conversation with a friend last night that is similar to what Tim says above: “How did I end up so far behind everyone else on the team?” I find myself asking at times, “Why didn’t He pick me earlier for the team?” The truth is though, and that I often have to remind myself, is that I am on time according to Him. He knew when I would join the team and come into the game. He knew I would be a benchwarmer for a while, but in the end, I wasn’t picked last for the team. It just took me longer to find the right team to join.
Like any athlete, I have good days and bad days, but our Coach is always consistent – loving us, merciful, forgiving, and encouraging us through His word and those He brings into our lives.
Thank you, Darla!
Well said! The timing of God’s “pick” is always a bit of a mystery. I think a lot of it has to do with ripeness. Like picking fruit, one has to wait for the right time. 🙂
Great analogy brother. And also great thoughts Tim and Darla. I love Tim’s comment about the after game party – amen. And Tim, you are a great teammate.
A fiery ordeal is ultimately anything God uses to make us run into His arms, trust Him, and become more conformed to the image of His Son. James 1: 2 – 4.
Rich,
Thanks for the James 1:2-4 reference! That fits very well:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.“
Nice blog today jeff
Thank you, Rob!
Rob got his sports in today.
I guess you might say that he is “on the ball!” 🙂
Or this one was a homerun.
What does a fiery ordeal look like to you?
Opportunity!
This has not always been the case, the battles have been fought and the Lord has won. As we study the Bible we find it is quite common to struggle as we receive God ’s calls to service. Moses, Jonah, Gideon, Jeremiah.
I spent 10 years as a group leader with Bible Study Fellowship, weekly serving groups of 17 men each year. The first two years were a battle and every Monday evening I was tied in knots as I drove to the church where studies were being held. I wanted to quit, I told my wife over and over, this is not going well, I am not the guy for this, I need to quit.
One night I went through my little speech with my wife, she listened quietly. Then she so sweetly told me, “ You really need to do whatever you think is right. But I just want you to know, every night when you come home, you do nothing but tell me how great your men are, and what a wonderful time you had.”
This woke me up, she was right. Once again I prayed to God, asking Him, “what do I need to do”, ”how can I do better.”
Gods answer was so very simple, He spoke to my heart, “Love your Men.” I did love my men, but I was not allowing the Love of God to flow thru me to them. They were actually Gods men, I needed to let them see Gods love for them. This changed my life, and what had been a struggle became a joy, which I began to look forward to our meetings.
Time in bible study, prayer/meditation, worship services, being used by the Lord in service, are “All time with our Lord.” Focus on Him, let His strength fight the battles, Satan will flee, and we can go back to enjoying our time with our God.
God doesn’t need people who have it all together, He needs people who are willing to serve.
Ron,
I can personally attest to your success in allowing the love of God to shine through you! Well done!
Always enjoyed our times together Brother.
Blessings Ron
Thank you Brother Ron. Your last part is a great encouragement to me.
“God doesn’t need people who have it all together, He needs people who are willing to serve.”
Also my actual biological brother’s named Ronald.
Kind words Brother Tim,
It will be great to meet your brother one day. Keep our eyes on Jesus. He knows how we function best, He will rearrange all our parts and be with us in the ministry He has selected for us.
Blessings,
Ron
Thank you all. Great comments. And Jeff… love the picture for this devotion 😉
👍🏻