All-Consuming Fire
By Brita Crouse
[Trials] have come
so that your faith - - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though
refined by fire - - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and
honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
1
Peter 1:7 (NIV)
I went to college in the-middle-of-nowhere Indiana,
literally surrounded by cornfields. There wasn’t much available to students as
far as entertainment, so most of the time, we had to make our own fun. In the
springtime, one thing we always looked forward to was the annual Prairie Burn.
My school owns a small, nearby prairie that is used by the Environmental
Science department for research and observation. Every year, the department
sets the prairie ablaze and students gather to watch the flames consume this
small plot of land.
Why does the prairie have to be set on fire every year? The
answer may seem a little counterintuitive: It is so re-growth can happen. There
is something about fire that produces rich soil, allowing for healthy plants to
grow abundantly. Fire also controls the spread of harmful or invasive plants
within the prairie. Basically, fire is necessary in maintaining a healthy
ecosystem and a thriving prairie.
I was listening to the song “All-Consuming Fire” by the
band Jesus Culture and thought, “I am just like that blazing prairie.” I was
experiencing a huge transition phase in life, and it had been a big trial. I
felt as though I was sitting in the hottest part of the fire. I think we can
all relate to this “prairie feeling,” though. We have all had times where we
can’t see through the smoke and flames to know which way is up.
But, there is hope! Fire may consume us at times, but every
time we face a trial, we are made stronger through the process. Those “invasive
plants” in our lives are burned up and we are made ready to have our faith
grow. Gold is put through fire to make it pure and free of any blemishes. We
are put through fire for the same reason. Going through fire may be hot and
uncomfortable, but the end far outweighs the means. Seasons of trial only bring
us closer to God, and create a dependence on Him that could not come from any
other process.
Because of fire, our faith is strengthened and refined, and
that is reason enough to be grateful for those times we feel like the Prairie
Burn.
GOING DEEPER:
1. How are you being refined through the fire?
2. Listen to “All-Consuming Fire” by Jesus
Culture (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beWTuiQiK1E).
Make this your prayer today.
FURTHER READING:
Brita is currently
working toward her Master’s in Counseling at the University of Minnesota-Twin
Cities. She has called Oakwood her home church for the past seventeen years.
