Quenched by Fire

Quenched by Fire

Blacksmiths and sword makers know how important quenching a blade can be. The use of fire is very important throughout the process of making a sword. First you use fire to shape the blade to make it just exactly what you want it to be. Then the final step in the blade-making process is what is determines the hardness of the blade – this is quenching. When the blade is perfected and you want it to stay that way, you place it in the fire and then directly into oil. This process determines the hardness of the blade. Without a proper quench, the blade will either be soft or it will shatter completely.

The Lord is preparing us just like a sword. Many times in our lives we will face difficulties, but these things are strengthening us. We may suffer and struggle, but the Lord knows that it is what it takes to shape us in to the follower that we need to be. Our past struggles can actually help us to reach others that are going through the same struggles. We can be a guide to them and help them in their walk with the Lord. 

Without the fire, we would be soft and easily changed, but with the fire we are tough and can withstand anything. This is what the Lord needs us to be. He has to see that we are quenched before He sends us into battle. We gain strength when we turn to the Lord during the trials by fire. He is the oil that will quench us and give us strength!

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10