Have you ever felt like you were hit by a fireball and then exploded? Sometimes life is like that and we wonder where God is in the midst of the explosion.

What are we supposed to do when the barrage hits? Our initial response might be to duck and hope it goes away. Some people might rely on alcohol or drugs to deaden the pain. What would the Lord want us to do?

A fireball can wear many faces …

Financial difficulties, marriage struggles, death of a loved one, a friend’s betrayal, illness, unanswered questions.

The list of possibilities is endless and the fireball could just be one or there might be a volley of fireballs. 

When Job was in the midst of the horrendous fireballs in his life, he said,”Though He slay me, yet will I trust.” (Job 13:15) Trust is difficult when it seems like our life is unraveling and our heart is shattered. Trust is reliance on the Lord’s strength. In the midst of the turmoil, we usually do not have much strength so it is imperative that we put our hope and trust in the Lord.

Often we have questions. The Lord is not upset when we ask questions. Sometimes He answers them and sometimes, in His infinite wisdom, they remain unanswered. Either way, our hope and trust must be that the Lord has a plan for our lives. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Sometimes He brings us to the open grave and asks us to bury, in Him, our hurts, confusion, resentments, bitterness, unbelief, unforgiveness or anger. He will take them and gently place them in the grave, then as we release them to Him, He will cover us with his love, peace, grace, forgiveness and mercy.

Each of us will go through seasons where we encounter fireballs. The apostle Paul experienced many fireball assaults. The Lord never promised us a life free from them, because He uses them to refine us. We can choose to take on His beauty from our ashes or we can wallow in self-pity. 

My hope is that each one of us will choose beauty rather then destruction.

What will you choose?

~Marianne