"Look Unto Me" Devotional

March 3
I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
Isaiah 48:10 KJV

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Dear tested and tried believer, comfort yourself with this thought: God said, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." Doesn't this verse fall on you like a soft rain shower, easing the intensity of the flames of the furnace? And doesn't it provide flameproof armor for us that fully protects us from the power of the heat? Then let afflictions come--God has chosen me. Poverty, you may walk through my door, but God is already in my house--He has chosen me. Sickness, you may intrude into my life, but I have a remedy close at hand--God has chosen me. Whatever may come my way as I walk through the valley of tears in this life, I know--He has chosen me.

Dear believer, if you still need greater comfort, remember you have the Son of God with you in the furnace. Even now in your quiet room Someone sits by your side--Someone you have not seen--Someone you love. And often, when you are unaware, He comes to your bed of affliction and smoothes your pillow for you. Perhaps you have a life of poverty, but within that life the Lord of life and glory is a frequent visitor. He loves to come to desolate places so He may visit you. He is "a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov. 18:24).

You cannot see Him, but you can feel the gentle touch of His hand. And don't you hear His voice? "Even ... through the valley of the shadow of death" (Ps. 23:4) He says, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God" (Isa. 41:10). Remember the famous speech Caesar made to his army: "Fear not, for you carry Caesar and all his fortune with you." And, dear Christian, fear not, for Jesus is with you in an even greater way. In every fiery trial His presence is both your comfort and safety, and He will never leave someone He has chosen to be His own.

"Do not fear, for I am with you," is His secure word of promise to the ones He has chosen "in the furnace of affliction." Then won't you take a firm grasp on Christ and say:

Through floods and flames,
As Jesus leads,
I'll follow where He goes.
John Ryland, 1753-1825

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

May the faith and courage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be found in each of us when facing "the furnace of affliction." Consider their words as they refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden idol: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king" (Dan. 3:17). And consider their resolve in the following statement: "But even if he does not [save us], we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold" (Dan. 3:18).

God sent His pre-incarnate Son into the furnace to protect them and even the pagan king had to admit, "The fourth looks like a son of the gods," and then referred to the three men as "servants of the Most High God" (Dan. 3:25-26). The Lord will work miracles in our lives as well to reach the lost when we have faith!

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