Willow's Rope

Greetings,

One of my favorite things ever is a bird planter Jorge gave me.  It hangs on my porch, and I have named it Willow.  It pleases me tremendously to water Willow, and the bigger the plant grows, the prettier Willow looks.  Interestingly enough, however, is that before Jorge hung it up on the trusty nail, he took a lighter and set the ends of Willow's rope on fire.  I didn't freak out because I have seen him do this before.  The fire, which is such a destructive force, when applied properly and supervised, actually strengthens the rope. Any loose fibers are melded together and prevent the rope from unravelling.  If Willow's rope ever frayed, she would fall and shatter.

Is it any wonder our Lord talks about refining fire in the Bible?

Psalm 66:8-12 “Bless God! Give Him a thunderous welcome! He set us on the road to life. He trained us first, passed us like silver through refining fires…pushed us to our very limit…finally brought us to a well-watered place” (The Message Version).

God trains us by allowing certain fiery trials in our lives, but look at the final destination: A well-watered place.  A refreshing place. A place of abundance. A place that flourishes with life.

Difficulties and struggles are prime training ground, and we can easily be pushed to our limit.  But consider the following.  I have a buddy whose child needed certain medical treatment but was turned away because of a scheduling issue.  The treatment was time sensitive, and she called me near hysteria.  Old-timey Yenise would have joined her in screaming, “OH KNOW! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?” But well-trained Yenise, in a calmness that can only come from God, very quietly said that if God wanted that test today, it would happen.  We prayed and handed God the reins on the way to the medical center. I calmly and persistently explained the issue to a less-than-kind receptionist, but I kept my cool, and the child was eventually seen. It was all a result of my having been there in similar situations, situations where my first reaction was to FREAK OUT.  Situations where praying was the last thing on my mind, wondering if it even made a difference. But I learned and continue to learn to seek Him first, no matter what, and practically demand the peace He says He gives.  

I remained unfrazzled in that circumstance, and my buddy and I were both better off because of it.  There is such a benefit to acknowledging God as the Lord of your life and blessing His name.  Thanking Him that He will bring something good out of your troubles.  Thanking Him that you will be stronger as a result of the fire. Thanking Him that the stuff that used to frazzle you is no longer an issue.  Thanking Him that your life will never ever shatter when He is in control.  And thanking Him that a well-watered, cool, refreshing place, drenched in blessings is in your future.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are our Father, and we trust You during our training. We all want to arrive safely to the well-watered places of life, and You know best how to get us there. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.