“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.” Isaiah 43:2 NIV
I’d spent the morning alternating
between worry and prayer. My son Josh is enrolled in a Fire Science degree at a
local college and was participating in a dangerous training exercise.
As a volunteer firefighter, he’s
been in dangerous situations before—real world and training. A couple of months
ago, he went to the fire academy in Columbia, SC, to participate in live propane
tank fire training. Yes, these are the large ones—train car size. My nerves
were shot that day, as well.
But this particular training day
involved a flashover simulator. In the real world, firefighters don’t survive
flashovers, so learning the warning signs of one is imperative. In the simulator,
firefighters train to detect the conditions and environment that precipitate a
flashover. The only way to do this is to create an actual flashover as close to
real world conditions as possible. Though the trainees wore special protective
gear, the instructors had cautioned them not to touch anything or each other
because it would leave a burn where they touched.
So when Josh pulled into the
driveway that afternoon, my heart leapt with joy and thankfulness that God had
protected him and the other trainees. He was sooty and exhausted, but as I
plied him with Powerade, I couldn’t help but ask questions. He
hadn’t been burned, so I was excited to hear the details of his day.
“Mom, the thermometer inside the
simulator read 1200 degrees. It was the hottest thing I’ve ever felt. Even the
air coming through my mask was hot!” His
eyes shone with excitement as he recounted the experience. He said it was the
coolest thing ever. J I thanked God that
Josh had come through it with the knowledge, hopefully, to recognize the
warning signs of a flashover.
Ironically, I awoke that morning
anticipating this training would be the most dangerous situation Josh would face
that day. But all kinds of danger exist for firefighters.
Later that evening, he worked a
call where a motorist had somehow failed to see a fire truck with lights
flashing on the interstate working a scene and crashed into it. I’m not sure
how the driver or his passenger survived hitting something that big at full speed,
but Josh was among the crew who cut the guy out of his vehicle before he was
airlifted to a nearby hospital. The firefighters in the truck sustained only
minor injuries.
Dangers and trials ensnare all of
us throughout life. On any given day, we awake with hope for what the day
holds. We have no idea if our anticipation will come into fruition or if
disaster will strike us or a loved one. So, how do we go about living our
fragile, earthly lives with no assurance of a good outcome?
Because of the One who provides
eternal assurance.
What an encouraging picture
Isaiah created in the verse above to show the faithfulness of our Lord. Isaiah
wasn’t referring to physical fire, though we read an account of such in Daniel
3. Rather, his words invoke safety we only experience through a relationship
with Christ. Trials are going to come. There will be rivers filled with rapids
and waterfalls. There will be fires. Yet, through it all, God never leaves our
side. His grace is sufficient to see us through anything. He promises this (2 Corinthians 12:9). The
safest place for any Christian is inside the will of God.
What trial are you walking
through today? Do you feel as though you can barely keep your head above the
raging waters? Or flames are nipping at the hem of your garment as you try to stay
one step ahead? I’d love to pray for you. Please leave a comment or e-mail me
confidential requests.
Have you recently walked through
a trial with God’s help? What did you learn about His faithfulness?
God bless,
Laura
© Laura Hodges Poole
Fire image courtesy of
think4photop/freedigitalphotos.net.
Waterfall image courtesy of
manostphoto/freedigitalphotos.net.
