We adjust the thermostat in the house very often. Someone in the house is either too hot or too cold. We can’t find a comfortable setting that everyone can agree on. The thermostat is more of a temptation becasue we feel that we are in control and it is very handy to use.
At times situations in life can get pretty hot for us. It would be nice if we could control the conditions of life as easily as we can change the settings on a thermostat. We could choose a comfortable setting—not too hot, not too cold—that fits our liking. Nobody would choose the heat of adversity or the fire of affliction if they have a choice. In the book of Daniel, we read about three young men who were thrown in to the furnace for their faith. They had no control of the situation or the fire or the temperature. It was a real fire, the flames, which were so hot that it killed the soldiers who threw Sadrach Meshak and Abednego into it. God himself showed up in the fire as the fourth person to give His children the comfortable setting inside the fire. The king came in looking for the ashes of the boys, but found them alive. “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25). The firey furnace has turned into the meeting place of God and His children. God's promise to His people is: “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned” (Isaiah 43:2). Sometimes God protects us from the fire, but other times He protects us in the fire.
Water is another element like fire, which we cannot live without. But it is a powerful force when allowed to flow out. The force of water is used to generate electricity that runs thousands of machinery and equipment. Uncontrolled water can shake the foundations of our homes and structures. Some people are scared of going through an automatic car wash. One such man writes, “Powers beyond my control began moving my car forward as if on a conveyor belt. There I was, cocooned inside, when a thunderous rush of water, soap, and brushes hit my car from all directions. What if I get stuck in here or water crashes in? I thought irrationally. But suddenly the waters ceased. After a blow-dry, my car was propelled into the outside world again, clean and polished." Life may seem like we are on a conveyor belt, a victim of forces beyond our control. During such 'car-wash experiences', God has given a promise that He will be there with you. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you."(Isaiah 43:2). When we get out on the other side we will be able to say with joy and confidence, “He is a faithful God!” A tunnel of testing can produce a shining testimony.
The waters of baptism is a reminder of going through the tunnel. We partake in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. As happened at the baptism of Jesus, God's declaration comes to each of us in our batpism, "This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased." God knows our name and calls each of us by name when we go through the waters of baptism. Regardless of denominations or doctrines, the sacrament of baptism connects all Christians as part of one family.
Each of us is a father, mother, daughter, son or a friend, a grand father or grand mother or any other. But above all and we are God’s children. Each of us is precious and honored in God’s sight. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet was without sin”( Hebrews 4:15). And Hebrews 7:25 promises “He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them”. The promise given at the birth of Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. The promise given by Jesus at his ascension echoed the same message: "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).
The unpredictability of life is not very thrilling. We devise and strategize. We make plans, projections, and proposals for our future. But often they are little more than our best guesses. We have no idea what a year, a month, a week, or even a day might bring. There are countless things I can never know with certainty. What I can know, however, is that there is a God who knows everything and loves me deeply. He knows me by name. And by knowing that, I can be at peace.
Blessings
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