Have you ever heard the saying: "Out of the frying pan and into the fire"?
The Italian author Laurentius
Abstemius wrote a collection of
100 fables. Abstemius' fable 20, concerns some fish thrown live into a frying
pan of boiling fat. One of them urges its fellows to save their lives by
jumping out, but when they do so they fall into the burning coals and curse its
bad advice.
The fabulist concludes: 'This
fable warns us that when we are avoiding present dangers, we should not fall
into even worse peril.' Is there a spiritual
application to this? I believe there is!
To start with
Solomon tells us in Proverbs 27:12 "A prudent person foresees danger and takes
precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
What is a phrase we might uses to explain this thought to
someone: "Look before you leap" or "You wouldn’t jump off a
cliff, just because your friends do, would you?"
The question we might ask is "What are spiritual cliffs
that folks jump off of today?"
Sometimes they involve sin, sometimes they involve
relationships, sometimes they just involve making bad decisions and sometimes
our cliffs involve facing challenges…Sometimes your life challenge feels like
you have gone from the frying pan into the fire……
So what has been your cliff, your challenge? Is it physically
or spiritually, and how do you handle it?
Let me make a suggestion for handling difficult things in
your life. One of my favorite passages is Romans 8:28: Paul
writes there: “And we know that God causes everything to
work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to
His purpose for them.”
Let me give you the “Russ Revised Version” of is verse: "Do your best to serve God, love him and no matter how badly
you mess things up, God will be able to
make something good come from it." Even if you don’t see it
or understand it, God has the power to work it to the good!
So it may seem that you have gone from the frying pan into
the fire, but don’t forget to trust in Him, Our God and King.
That's why Psalm 23:1-6
is so dear to so many of us. It reminds us of who is in control of our world
and our life. David wrote: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
So face life's challenges trusting in God!
