Jun 23
Today’s Truth
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Thunder cracked the sky when a lightning bolt ripped through the roof of our home, igniting a fire that redefined our normal that night in 2017. The house snapped dark and shook. It was as if a bomb had gone off.
“I think we got hit!” Hunter screamed from the family room. We hurried outside to see if it was true.
The next few minutes were a blurry race against the clock. Get the dogs out! Get the cars out! I’ll grab the computers! And that’s pretty much all we had time for. The flames and smoke kicked us out of our home and were far from warmth or comfort.
Sirens roared. Red lights flashed.
Fear and helplessness stood in the rain beside me as I watched it all play out from across the street. My feet were naked. In the chaos and commotion, I didn’t think to put any shoes on. Someone noticed and placed a pair of leather boat shoes before me. I gratefully slipped them on.
The minutes seemed like months in the moments between the arrival of the firefighters and the point at which they had the hoses hooked up to a water source.
Hurry up, guys!
Flames raged wildly from my closet window. The house glowed bright with orange. Was this really happening?
Two trucks. Three. Four. Firemen running and shouting. Police on the scene. News cameras and reporters.
Why was it taking so long?
Neighbors everywhere. Soaked. Stunned. Standing in support. Offering prayers and a place to stay. They’d all felt the earth shake within their homes when ours was hit.
Once the fire was contained and fully out, we were allowed to go back in to grab a few personal items. It was almost 1 am. Darkness hung thick in the air. The power had been cut, so the firemen led us through the ashes, debris, and water with handheld lights.
Our upstairs looked like a smoldering freight train had passed through, hurling darkness and destruction. Soot and debris were all around. Water and smoke were everywhere. And ashes. Heaps and heaps of ashes. Could this really be our home?
Yet God’s peace was in the midst of it all, calming me. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1b-3a).
In that season of ashes, God bid me to trust Him. Time and time again. In the frustration, exhaustion, and tears. As I spent time in prayer, I sensed Him inviting me to trust His timing, His plan, His sovereignty, and His ability to restore and make new.
Isaiah wrote: “This is what the Lord says … ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’” (Isaiah 43:16-19).
What former or fiery things have left you dwelling on the past?
Is there something or someone the Lord is bidding you to trust Him with today?
Maybe yours isn’t a house fire or literal ashes, but a prodigal child, a crumbling marriage, or an aging parent? Maybe you’re passing through the deep waters of a health battle or a financial burden.
God is at work in the middle of every struggle and storm. Even when questions loom and pain is present. He is faithful and powerful, able to do more than you and I can ever ask for or imagine.
Let’s ask for and imagine a fresh rising of strength and hope today as we trust God’s goodness – even when our circumstances burn like fire and smell like smoke.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, You are faithful and good at all times. Thank You for promising to never leave or forsake Your children. Please strengthen me to face the fires before me today with courage and honor. Help me trust You.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Let’s Keep in Touch
June 30, 2023, Girlfriends in God is coming to a close. Thank you for linking arms with us in ministry for the past 17 years. We still want to share life with you! Click here to continue receiving devotions from Sharon Jaynes on Tuesdays. Click here to continue receiving devotions from Mary Southerland on Wednesdays. Click here to continue receiving devotions from Gwen Smith on Thursdays.
Now It’s Your Turn
What do you need to trust God with today?
Let’s pray together today. Meet us in the comments section to share your heart and pray for one another.
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July 13, 2010 Lightning reached down and with one bright flash took my eldest son and knocked my middle son unconscious. I did not lose material possessions but grieved the loss of the child God had entrusted me with for almost 26 years. And as I grieved one loss, I rejoiced that my middle son survived physically and prayed that he would not just survive but thrive spiritually, mentally and emotionally. When we left the hospital my remaining 3 children and I gathered praying. We discussed how it was at times like this Satan would try his hardest to get us to cast doubt on our faith with such well meaning phrases from others as “how could God let something happen to such a good young man”? We agreed we had to accept that for as long as we were constrained by this world, we would not understand the why, but trust in God’s perfect plan and God’s perfect timing. Every day I miss my child but am comforted that because I believe in the promise of everlasting life made possible by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, the days I walk this earth without my son- are truly but the blink of an eye in eternity.
I have my 80 year old mother living with me. It has never been a consistently comfortable relationship. Sometimes I feel like I am trapped. I know God knows exactly where I am and what He is working out for my life. Some days I walk through each day with a calmness only He can provide. Other days I am ashamed of my anger, impatience, and desire to run away. I am so grateful I have His word, Christian friends, and the presence of the Lord to help me handle each day. His word NEVER fails even though I often do.
Good Morning, please pray with me as I ask for prayer for my two sons. This was a good read and really helped me this morning to just trust God in my storms. To just give it to God and He has and Will already worked it Out! Have a Blessed and Grateful Day.
Thank you.
I am needing prayer to find a job (after my quick move to another state to take care of my mom),to be a better caregiver for my mom who has dementia/alzheimer’s disease, and healing to my daughter and son so we can once again be close again. In Jesus name, Amen 🙏 🙌
This devotion was for me. I am STRUGGLING right now with my marriage of 23 years. There has been some infidelity exposed, and on top of that, I am preparing to send my baby girl off to college. So it will be just me and my husband and the dogs, along with feelings of betrayal and hurt.
We are attempting to find some counseling, but in the meantime, PRAYER IS WHAT I NEED TO HOLD ON.
This devotion spoke directly to my heart. I’m having a heard time surrendering my daughter to the Lord. She is a senior in college and has been influenced by the culture. My heart breaks because I know the person she has become is not the person God created. Please pray I can let go and trust the Lord. I worry so much.
Please pray for the chronic pain I have been having monthly. I want to function normally as a mother, but pain always a hurdle. I had just recovered from it, been 3 days with chronic migraine that it leads to hypertension and GERD. I have a 17 yr old daughter with physical disability, pls pray for her urinalysis to be normal, and bladder, we will undergo some tests for her bladder due to her syndrome. I pray all is not complicated for her. In Jesus’ powerful name ..