Chosen In The Furnace
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. The Bible makes quite a point about God choosing us. Just like Jesus chose his disciples, God chooses us and calls us to follow him. But there is a different “choosing” that God does. Isaiah 48 describes it, where God says, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” At first that verse brought me no comfort at all, but it actually means my suffering is not arbitrary; it’s not left up to chance. God doesn’t just allow fiery trials, he chooses us to walk with him through the furnace, just like he walked with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in their furnace. Oh, friend, our Savior calls us to follow him down the rocky, hard path to Calvary; he’s chosen us to follow him. It may be hard right now, but it is worth anything and everything to be chosen by him, even if your furnace of affliction feels a little hot.
