The Story behind the ‘Fire-proof’ Oven Gloves
When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you. When you pass through fire, you will not be burned; the hard trials that come will not hurt you. Isaiah 43:2
Imagine we had to bake without gloves. You can’t grab the nearest dish towel either, the ‘rule’ was you had to do it with your bare hands! (Humour me here for a while, OK?) Now, would you be able to retrieve that gorgeously-golden roast chicken or those mouth-watering muffins your guests are about to dig into? A definite ‘no’ right? We need some kind of covering while we stick our hands into a piping-hot oven.
As ridiculously obvious as the above scenario may sound, isn’t it strange, that we sometimes try and do something so absurd with the fires of the world? Tackle them with our bare hands… Without any form of the Covering that is available to us. We were not made to weather the storms of life without that glorious coat of Christ’s blood protecting us. God says that when we move through water, He will be with us. That we don’t go into the fire alone. Now, His presence is not just a means of comfort during difficult times – not to diminish the necessity and power of the comfort He provides – but it’s also part of our armour, a means of shelter from the storm. The metaphorical ‘flood waters’ and ‘fires’ the enemy launches at us are intended to destroy us, and if you get caught up in them without the covering of God – His presence from which evil flees – they may well succeed.
The Fire-proof oven gloves are intended to be a handy reminder of the fact God is the perfect Provider of protection as we pass through the difficult, uncomfortable or even life-threatening seasons of our lives.
But it’s also a reminder that this world is an oven! That situations will flare up in the lives of God-serving people, that floods may sweep the earthly things we gather from under our feet. That we may lose those closest to us, our health, our securities.
Know that we are living in a war zone. In the spiritual, the battle for each our souls rages relentlessly. The closer we live to God – in His truth and light – the better we can navigate through the disaster zones and tests that inevitably cross our paths. I’m not saying expect the worst, all I’m saying is keep your gloves handy, make sure they don’t have holes in them, and know that when it feels like you’re being overcome by the fire – even while your spiritual gloves are on – God says that it will not destroy you. Know that even if it seems like everything you’ve laboured at are burning to a crisp, God can use those flames to prepare a masterpiece that’s meant for a heavenly feast. Know that God is always good and will work all things for your good. Maybe not as quickly as you would want, and maybe not even in this life.
My prayer is for you to discover that in Christ you are ultimately insulated in the context of eternal life – a protection that comes with a whole lot of extras as part of its extended warrantee for our lives on earth! And I pray that you will continue to clothe yourself in the covering of Christ in order to remain fire-proof!
I leave you with John 16:33: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.”
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If you have any questions on what you’ve read here, you’re welcome to chat to me on info@bread-crumbs.co.za.
