I dreamed of a wondrous Blacksmith...
As I entered his shop, I first noticed a massive Anvil standing proud in the middle of the room. Bright and shining as if new this very morning.
Solid.
Steadfast.
Unyielding.
There was his forge.
A hearth unmatched. Warming me from a distance, but powerful enough to purify iron
and harden steel.
A terrible, mighty Hammer was poised above the Anvil,
waiting it's moment to strike.
And there's the Smith...
Wisdom shining from his eyes. Strength flowing from his
arm.
This
was no ordinary Smith, for at that moment an Iron flew from the fire, white hot
and malleable to his will. It came to rest on the Anvil and it was as if the Anvil
and the Iron were in an embrace. Seemingly unbidden and unguided by the Smith,
the Hammer flew as of its own accord. Raining relentless blows upon the Iron.
The Iron, guided by the hand of the Smith and backed by the Anvil, was
transformed into intricate shapes inspiring to see. All of the Hammer's blows, direct
and forceful or glancing and weak, were
used by the Smith to shape the Iron into something glorious. After a time the Iron
sought sanctuary in the fiery Forge. Unworried of being burnt beyond use.
Reveling in the power of the flame.
Next
from the white hot center of the Forge came a dead cold Iron untouched by the
heat of the flame. It avoided the Anvil at all costs. And unsupported by the
Anvil it was pummeled by the Hammer into grotesque shapes, breaking in places.
Truly misshapen, it fell to floor crying to the Smith; "Why?! Why me? Why
this? Why now? Why?!"
As I considered how one could be so inconsistent in his
work, the Smith looked at me and smiled. My vision was transformed and I truly
began to see what was before me...
The Smith was the Saviour and the Irons were
God's greatest creations... us.
The glowing Forge was the Holy
Spirit with the power to harden us against trials, temper us against our faults
and soften us to the will of the Lord.
The Anvil was the Word of GOD
backing us against the assaults of the World, providing a platform on which to
stand and guiding us in the will of the Lord.
The Hammer was the World (and those that have
dominion over it) striking tremendous blows and seeking to break us or at the
very least bend us to its desires.
The Irons that were heated by the Forge and were supported by the Anvil against
the blows of the Hammer are believers who have accepted the power of the Spirit
and embraced the Word of God. Those that came cold from the Forge and avoided
the Anvil are the unbelievers and false believers that are not filled with the
Spirit and scoff at the Word.
The
Smith asks the Iron to soak in the power of the Forge and stand on the Anvil, as
the Hammer will strike whether we do or we don't. Through him, we can be truly
transformed into something marvelous.
Perhaps most astounding is the fact that no Iron is too
misshapen, too bent or broken by the Hammer to be used the Smith. Accepting the
Smith, basking in the Forge and standing
on the Anvil will shape any old hunk into something beautiful.
God's will be done.
For His is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory
Forever!
Amen.
