“And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and He liveth.” (Deuteronomy 5:24)
These are the words of the elders after Moses read the ten commandments to them. But it was too much for them. Instead, they all agreed Moses would commune with God and he would tell them what God said. (Deuteronomy 5:25-31)
Today, I would ask you if you’ve seen His glory, His greatness and have you heard His voice out of the midst of the fire? Because it’s in the fire that He is closest. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1Peter 1:6-7) When we are going through afflictions and difficulties, we realize our helplessness. The great hinderance of self is put in its place and we can sincerely seek the Lord in our desperation. It’s there where we surrender ourselves and there that we place our lives in His hands. And when we have totally yielded to the Lord, we see His Glory and His greatness. We hear His voice in that fire of affliction.
Elihu mentions this to Job. “He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression.” (Job 36:15) It’s so difficult to hear the voice of God when our ears are so full of ourselves; what we have done and said and what we will do or say. It’s then that we realize that our God is all in all. It’s then that our eyes and ears are opened to God’s greatness and our helplessness. “Before I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word.” (Psalms 119:67) Who wrote Psalms 119 and when it was written is a mystery, but this psalmist knew human nature. While all is well, we tend to rely on ourselves. We forget that God’s Goodness is overshadowing us.
The apostles and Paul were well aware of this fact. They suffered persecution for preaching Jesus. And Paul also suffered in his body. He wrote: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2Corinthians 4:7-18) They preached the Gospel despite how much they were suffering in persecutions and in their bodies. They allowed God’s glory to abound in their obedience to their mission. They spiritually put to death their “self.” And God glorified Himself in them as they continued in their obedience, their faith giving them strength daily to continue. They were looking with joy to the eternal, the unseen things of God.
That’s why Paul could say rejoice if you’re in affliction. (Romans 5:5) “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” (Romans 12:12) Those are the marks of a believer in Jesus.
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