Sustained in The Fire

Sustained In The Fire

Show me your glory. God would you stun me with your strength?
Numb me with your wisdom. Steal my breath with a brush of yours. Just a glimpse of
Your glory God.

"My father turns his face towards me and smiles softly. It's okay. Somehow I know it is.
In the midst of it all, my father says "it's okay" then that's enough. At this moment
I realized something. I could look around and find fear, or look at my father and
Find faith. I choose my father's face. Paraphrased from a quote by Maxx Lucado
"It's Not About Me"

It's not a surrender of giving up with hopelessness. No, it's a surrender of humility
In honor. Sacrificing my ego, laying down before God, denying my wants for His. Realizing
His plans are for His own good pleasure. He doesn't do things in the way we imagine they
would be done. But nevertheless, His way is excellent and our end is better than our be-
Ginning. During our times of trial we hurt, we are uncomfortable, we are confused.
Reason doesn't work out like we thought. In short, nothing is going right. All hell
Is breaking loose at one time. Everything is coming against us and the deluge is
In a word, overwhelming. But, the fire does not consume us, and the trial is not
without purpose. And, we are not alone. The Son of God is in the midst of the
fiery trial with us. Instead of succumbing to the adversity which is all around us
and the plot to destroy us is evident. We dance in the midst of all that is going on.

When we think we can't take another minute or we can't take another step.
"Help me!" Would eek from our parched lips, too dry to cry out. But we are
sustained in the fire. Our affliction is but a moment. So, we dance (in the fire)
And the Glory of God is all around us--and He will not let us be destroyed.
Nothing is as it appears to be. Right now I know it looks hopeless. Everything
seems to be coming at you from all sides. You've done the best you know how,
But it doesn't seem to be enough, you're running on fumes. Your tank is empty,
But you keep going and going. The more you keep going it seems the more is
thrown at you. Now! Deal with THAT! (Your problems scream). And you do. You
fight off your problems coming at you on your right side, on your left side.
They're coming from behind you, watch out! For the ones coming head on that
you didn't see coming. All this is happening, one thing after another. You don't
have anything more to fight with. "God!" "When. Is this EVER going to end?"

Ahhh, but the ram is in the bush. Redemption draweth nigh and help is on the way.
BREAKTHROUGH!! The storm is over. The rain has stopped. The wind subsides.
The waves are calm, the tide recessed. The dark clouds have rolled away and
the sun is peeking through. Yes, yes!! The one thing you need is to see the sun
(Son). The father's face turned to you to say "peace be still." "It's alright now."
(Thank YOU, Lord Jesus!) His glory is all around you. He has wrapped you up
And kept you. Your clothes aren't burned or singed nor smell of smoke. Not one
hair on your head --the ones He knows the number of. Not one of them is harmed.
You were sustained in the fire, and you know it's gonna be alright.

Show me your glory you asked. He did. He stunned you with His strength to keep
the wolves at bay. He numbed you with His wisdom when you realized this was
Intended for His good pleasure. So that He in the end would get all the praise.
You thought you were fighting this battle alone. You tried to alienate those closest
to you. Those who may have helped you. But, you distanced yourself from them.
Now, the angry crowd & mob was coming for you, but they fell back and shielded
themselves from the glare. The light around you, so bright "my eyes" someone calls.
It's the glory of God shining around you. Protecting His own. For the battle is not
yours, it's the Lords.

Steal my breath with a brush of yours you asked. He did when the fire was so intense
and the smoke alone could choke the life out of you. Who gave you breath to even
utter in a whisper.....Jesus. He did sustain you in the fire. He held you up, kept
Your mind, fought the battle you couldn't possibly win,

Yes, show me your glory. I'm not asking for any temporary fix. I'm asking you Lord
Jesus to show up. I'm asking for your presence again and again. Let me see how
Blessed I am. It's been a wilderness experience but like the multitudes in the
dessert, Jesus fed them all--and he has sustained me. Hallelujah!

Eldridge Cole
originally written June 2009