When I was a student in elementary school, I was always itching to be first to raise my hand. I even had it up before the teacher finished asking the question. In Phys Ed, when they’d pick teams, I’d squirm and think, Choose me; oh please… won’t you choose me? Call it insecurity—stupid, brazen, whatever—I did not want to be left out. If a team captain was eeny-meany-miny-mowing, I wanted in.
Decades later, I can be grateful because God longs to include me. Colossians 3:12 tells us that we who know Christ as Savior are His chosen ones. Ephesians 1:4 reminds us we are elected to be holy and to be witnesses before heaven and hell concerning the gospel. Jesus even said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).
This invigorates my spirit and makes me feel included in the big picture of God’s workings in the world. It binds me together with other brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s like I am in God’s classroom: Lord, I’m so grateful You chose me!
Yet God has a group of “chosen ones” for which I am not eager to raise my hand. He selected me for that group over 50 years ago when I broke my neck, and became a quadriplegic. The Lord whispered Isaiah 48:10 into my ear, “I have chosen you in the furnace of affliction.”
Just in case I tried to assume that verse was only for Joseph and Job in the Old Testament, God showed me Acts 9:15-16 where He said of the apostle Paul, “[You are] my chosen instrument… I will show [you] how much [you] must suffer for my name.” Once I left the hospital in a wheelchair and faced a life without use of my arms or legs, I knew Acts 9 wasn’t meant just for apostles: it was meant for me. I was now God’s chosen instrument… and I was to suffer for His namesake.
When God chooses us for the furnace of affliction, it could mean a catastrophic illness, physical or mental. It could be an unexpected divorce, a deep loneliness, being falsely accused, or having your reputation dragged through the mud. The furnace of affliction could include a life of chronic pain or an overwhelming grief that refuses to be consoled. Whatever it is, it can take your breath away when you step into a fiery hot trial and think, This is my new normal?
Be heartened. It is a special kind of election described in 1 Pet. 2:21: “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.” According to Acts 9, you are suffering “for [His] name.” This means there’s more than enough grace for the furnace of affliction. He stands with you, helping you handle the challenges gracefully; that is, full oRemember, Jesus first sifts through every trial that touches us through His wise and loving fingers and He gives us grace even in the furnace of affliction.f grace, so that you will bring glory to His name. You have the honor of making God look good through your trials!
Suffering is not something you would normally choose. I certainly didn’t want paralysis! Remember, it is your Savior who decides that furnace for you, rather than you for it, and He first sifts every terrible trial that touches you through his wise and loving fingers. Your trials are stepping-stones to spiritual maturity. The testing is meant not merely to prove your strength, but increase it. Psalm 65:4 says, “Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts!”
That is something you can raise your hand for, gladly saying, “Amen”!
