Remove the impurities from silver, and the sterling will be ready for the silversmith. - Proverbs 25: 4 (NLT)
How are impurities removed? With the application of intense heat. That is where we find ourselves often waiting on God. That is where Joseph found himself. That is where Paul and Silas found themselves. Thus we come to the key verses and find what God is saying to us in the fire. The first and most important lesson is that we must draw closer to God during the process, not shrink away. This is not always easy as we are always distracted and even more so when it seems like our world is falling apart. It is easy to focus on the problem instead of the problem solver. Paul and Silas were prisoners in a foreign land. They have been beaten to within an inch of their lives and escape was simply a human impossibility. How often is that our situation too beloved? Our life has beaten us down and we cannot see a way out at all. There is no human answer, as the woman with the issue of blood had to learn the hard way. Yet hours after being shackled in the inner dungeon where do we find Paul and Silas? Are they bemoaning their situation? Are they scheming how they can get out of it? No; they are singing hymns to God and praying. Two important lessons for us here. The first is that our prayer life needs to be intensified when we are facing the unknown. We must turn over the unsolvable situations to the God we serve. The only real God. The one who spoke everything into existence with a single spoken sentence. Jesus Christ conquered the grave and defeated death itself! Surely He can secure that job you need! Surely He can bring that wayward child home! Surely He can confound the doctor's report!
Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord : "I am the Lord , the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? - Jeremiah 32: 26-27 (NLT)
The answer is NO! Nothing is too hard for God! The second important lesson is we must praise God in advance of the miracle. Praise reminds us who God is and who we are. It reminds us of what He can do and how small our problems are in relation to how big our God is! It displays faith to praise God for a deliverance that has not come yet. The three Hebrew boys stood in front of the fiery furnace facing a horrible death and here was their understanding of the God they served:
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." - Daniel 3: 16-18 (NIV)
Beloved, whatever is the matter facing us today we do not need to defend ourselves in relation to it. God can deliver us if it is His sovereign will. He has already delivered us from death and an eternal life in hell. If He does nothing else for me the rest of my life, He has already done everything. Shackled to our problems and situations we need to turn even more forcefully to God. Prayer and praise can break any shackle in God's time.
Another vital lesson from the key verses often gets overlooked. The Bible says the other prisoners were listening! The unsaved people in our lives will watch us very closely in the valley. They will want to see this God we spent so much time praising when things were going well act on our behalf now that we are up against it. They cannot see doubt and unbelief. They need to see the faith of Paul and Silas in action. They need to see us still on our knees and still singing His praises. Why is it so important? Let's see what happens as a result:
The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, "Stop! Don't kill yourself! We are all here!" - Acts 16: 27-28 (NLT)
