so near is the Lord to me while in the fire of humiliation

Why do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 

Psalm 10:1

The Lord’s presence is of great joy to me, O my soul.

Yet in my troubles, in my trials, in my testings,

my senses overwhelm me,

screaming that the Lord has hidden Himself from me,

Amidst every trouble, trial and testing,

amidst the screams of my senses,

listen to the Word of the Lord, O my soul!

For the Word of the Lord, is the nearness of the Lord in all His glory.

Just as the refiner is ever near fire when he is refining his gold –

so near is  the Lord to me while in the fire of humiliation, or the furnace of affliction. 

Though I may be called to walk through the fire,

Hasn’t the Lord promised to be with you, O my soul?

Promising that you shall not be burned,

Promising that the flames shall not even scorch you, O my soul (Is 43)?

Isn’t the Lord as near to you, O my soul,

As He was so near to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace

that He walked with them there,

preserving them even from the smell of the fire (Dan 3)?

Bless Lord, O my soul!

“According to his great mercy, he has caused you to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your soul.” 1 Pt 1:3-9 (ESV)