[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during August 2023]
To date, my entire experience of visiting the USA amounts to about 90 minutes in Hawaii. It was a refuelling stop on the route between Brisbane and Vancouver. It was uneventful visit and largely forgettable.
For many people during the past week, their time in Hawaii has been anything but forgettable. Significant areas of the islands have been caught in a series of wildfires that have destroyed homes, hotels, municipal buildings and local landmarks. There have been reports of people having to jump into the sea to avoid the flames.
We must not belittle the suffering of who are going through these experiences. There has been loss of life. Many residents have lost all they possessed. The ambitions and efforts of several generations have been reduced to dust and ashes.
However, these experiences are not unique; the photographs of the stricken areas of Maui are very similar to those of other parts of the US, southern Europe, Australia and elsewhere. Do they remind us of a war-zone? Some photographs from Ukraine look very similar.
In Greek and Egyptian mythology the phoenix was a bird that symbolized resurrection and immortality and was associated with the prospect of life arising anew from the ashes. For us, resurrection, immortality and new life come through our faith in Jesus Christ. This does not guarantee us security against earthly loss or death, but it does allow us to face them positively.
An Old Testament prophet conveyed a promise from God. These words have been quoted many times but familiarity should not be allowed to undermine their message:
‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’
Jeremiah 29 v11 [AMP]
It may not be appropriate to simply repeat those words to someone who is suffering adversity but does your faith allow you to be a beacon of hope to them? Are you, like Barnabas, known for your spirit of consolation and encouragement?[1]
In the book of Daniel we read of three friends who endured a trial by fire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had proven themselves worthy of their appointment to senior administrative positions in the Babylonian government but they refused to renounce their faith in God. By defying a directive to worship an image of the king they were condemned to be thrown into a blazing furnace. They told the king that they believed that God could save them but, irrespective of the outcome, they would not comply with his order.
The records show that the three friends did, indeed, survive and that the king ordered that their God should be honoured throughout his dominions. Could it be that their witness became a factor in the king’s eventual repentance and recognition of God?[2]
Is your faith a flame that gives light to those around you or is it smouldering amid the ashes?
Resources:
[1] Acts 4 v36
[2] Daniel 4 v34, 37
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
For a example of how one family experienced a similar fire in Oregon see
https://youtu.be/fCX8gccF8Hs
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