Craig Clouston

Against All Reason

January 5

The flames will not set you ablaze.

Isaiah 43:2

Ten-year-old Nancy and her older sister, Rachel, jumped off the school bus and ran into the house. It was a frigid winter afternoon. The house was cold!

“The furnace is out,” Nancy said, her disappointment evident. “Your turn,” Rachel responded. With Mom working all day for a church-affiliated conference center, the girls were responsible for restoking the furnace.

Nancy headed to the basement. Tossing some kindling on top of the few remaining coals, she opened the damper a bit to get a draft going, adding larger pieces of coal and wood on top of the kindling.

Twenty minutes later, she checked on the fire; it still hadn’t caught. So, opening the damper completely, she watched until the wood began to burn. “Finally!” she said, closing the furnace door and heading back upstairs.

Fifteen minutes later, it hit her. I forgot to shut the damper! Running to the basement, she saw the furnace glowing red hot! I’ve got to cool the fire down somehow!

Grabbing the garden hose, she opened the furnace door with gloves, stood back, and sprayed. Foohm! The fire’s reaction was immediate; Nancy’s reaction was instinct-driven. Her eyes slammed shut, just as hot ash, soot, and flames shot out the furnace door!

Having heard the roar from upstairs, Rachel ran to the basement. There stood Nancy—covered in soot from head to toe, except for her eyes, which she’d managed to open again—miraculously unharmed. Rachel broke into hysterical laughter.

†

It was a miracle the furnace hadn’t exploded the instant the water hit it. It defied the laws of physics. Flames and hot embers had been ejected from the furnace and had landed on her, and though blackened, even her clothes had not been singed. Nancy had not received a single burn.

Through the hand of God, Nancy was spared tremendous pain and injury, horrible disfigurement, and possible death. The realization of what could have happened has been spoken of fondly during the ensuing forty years. The picture of that little ten-year-old girl, assaulted by fire yet unharmed, speaks of God’s protection as loudly today as it did back then.

Prayer

“You, God, are the God of promises and miracles, and we give You praise. Amen.”