Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

June 25th, 2012 by JDVaughn Leave a reply »

 . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour.

We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them.

Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.

_________________________________________________

June 25, 2012

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord it is a difficult lesson to learn; that I learn and am shaped most when I am “up against it”. When I am in pain I hear You the loudest. When I feel threatened or fearful I reach for You. When I have nowhere else to turn, I turn to You; over and over again until I learn that turning to You is not a sign of weakness. I have had trials and difficult circumstances to the point that now I will not take even one step, without reaching out to You…….Perhaps that was the lesson and the necessary shaping. Thank You Jesus.

And God says…”In order to remove the slag or dross from silver, the silversmith must first heat it to the point where the impurities are removed and all that is left is pure silver. Trials and difficulties create the heat and pressure from which you are purified. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding and your paths will become straight. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and all things of the earth that you need will be added unto you. Whatever helps you turn your eyes to Jesus is good for you. All things work for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

Advertisement

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.