Ginny Owens - Love Be The Loudest - The Overflow DevoSample

The Fire

Why do we often learn the most about God’s love during the fires of our lives?

Last year, I prayed often that God would give me a deeper understanding of His love. Little did I know what lay ahead. I began experiencing vocal challenges during concerts. Singing became physically painful. As I went through intense vocal coaching to heal my voice, I discovered something else was wrong - I had a grapefruit-sized, abdominal tumor, which the doctor kindly explained might be cancer. Though I tried to remain hopeful, I was very afraid. I couldn’t quiet the unanswered questions haunting my mind or the perpetual knot in my stomach.

Thank God, I do not have cancer and my voice is recovering, but something deepened in me during that season. Though much of my prayers are now a blur, I remember crying out to God for His peace and strength, and feeling Him respond through these prayers and the love of others.

In the book of Daniel, God allowed His most devout men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to be thrown into a literal fire. They had publicly refused to honor any god other than Him. They were afraid, but they didn’t back down. God walked with them in the fire and they survived. Their bravery pointed to God’s faithfulness, which inspired others to worship Him too!

The fire is a place where our idols—our false gods — burn. During my season of fire, I realized my career and my control were more important to me than God’s voice. But in the fire, I found God holding me tightly in His arms – tenderly guiding me through the flames. He whispered, “I’ve been here, too. So you have nothing to fear.”

If you are walking through a fire, or when you find yourself in one, hold tightly to God’s hand and remember that He’s walked through the ultimate fire for you. Read about the endless fires He has faithfully walked others through, and let the good news of His perfect faithfulness surround you.