Experiencing Iron

Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. — Psalm 4:1 KJV

This verse is one of the greatest testimonies ever written regarding the effectiveness of God’s work on our behalf during times of crisis. It is a statement of thanksgiving for having been set free not from suffering but rather through suffering. In stating, “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress,” the psalmist is declaring that the sorrows of life have themselves been the source of life’s enlargement.

Haven’t each of us experienced this a thousand times and found it to be true? Someone once said of Joseph that when he was in the dungeon,

• “iron entered his soul.”

And the strength of iron is exactly what he needed, for earlier he had only experienced the glitter of gold. He had been rejoicing in youthful dreams, and dreaming actually hardens the heart. Someone who sheds great tears over a simple romance will not be of much help in a real crisis, for true sorrow will be too deep for him. We all need the iron in life to enlarge our character. The gold is simply a passing vision, whereas the iron is the true experience of life. The chain that is the common bond uniting us to others must be one of iron. The common touch of humanity that gives the world true kinship is not joy but sorrow — gold is partial to only a few, but iron is universal.

• Dear soul, if you want your sympathy for others to be enlarged, you must be willing to have your life narrowed to certain degrees of suffering.

Joseph’s dungeon was the very road to his throne, and he would have been unable to lift the iron load of his brothers had he not experienced the iron in his own life.

Your life will be enlarged in proportion to the amount of iron you have endured, for it is in the shadows of your life that you will find the actual fulfillment of your dreams of glory. So do not complain about the shadows of darkness — in reality, they are better than your dreams could ever be. Do not say that the darkness of the prison has shackled you, for your shackles are wings — wings of flight into the heart and soul of humanity. And the gate of your prison is the gate into the heart of the universe. God has enlarged you through the suffering of sorrow’s chain. ~ GEORGE MATHESON

If Joseph had never been Egypt’s prisoner, he would have never been Egypt’s governor. The iron chain that bound his feet brought about the golden chain around his neck.

Excerpted with permission from Healing Water for the Soul by L. B. Cowman, copyright Zondervan.

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Your Turn

It might seem like suffering and pain are pointless, but that is not true in the Kingdom of God. Trusting in the Lord through trials and strain strengthens and builds us in our souls and character just like going to the gym builds our muscles! Come share your thoughts with us. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily