Singing in the fire of affliction

Have you ever read the works of Susannah Spurgeon? I deeply resonate with this sister in Christ because her chronic illness and pain kept her bed-bound for 34 years. 

But, even during that time, she could support her husband Charles in his ministry, write books, and spearhead a charity to distribute free books to pastors living in poverty. Her words encourage me to keep going through Singing Christ’s Hope. 

Because this is what she did, too.

After Charles died when she was 63, Susie wrote about crying to our Lord one night in her lonely agony. Suddenly, she heard what sounded like a bird song. She realized the “music” emanated from the room’s fire logs. 

“Oh! thought I, when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed we are purified, and our God is glorified! Singing in the fire! Yes, God is helping us. If that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard, apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before.”¹

How she encourages me, for I’ve found it to be true also. It’s our Lord helping us, purifying us, as we sing praise to Him…in the fire of affliction.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 
in a believer’s ear! 
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, 
and drives away our fear.

(“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds,” Newton, J., 1779)

Singing in the fire of affliction, preventing hardened hearts toward our Lord

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion (Heb. 3:15 CSB).

Fire of affliction is a “testing” time. Just as with God’s people in the wilderness. They tested God in their unbelief, putting Him on trial and asking Him to prove Himself worthy of their worship, even though they saw His mighty and compassionate works toward them within the many afflictions. They turned away from Him in rebellion instead of turning toward Him with their pain.

But, what is our hope, beloved in Christ?

We don’t need to be like them—we are indeed tested in the fire of affliction, but we belong to Jesus and His Spirit is within us, always pointing us to Christ our Lord and Savior!

O Jesus, shepherd, guardian, friend, 
my Prophet, Priest, and King,…

Watch out, brothers and sisters, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God (Heb. 3:12 CSB).

My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, 
accept the praise I bring.

Singing suffering songs in the fire, with soft hearts that confidently trust Jesus

For we have become participants in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the reality that we had at the start (Heb. 3:14 CSB).

How weak the effort of my heart, 
how cold my warmest thought; 
but when I see you as you are, 
I’ll praise you as I ought.

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love (1 Jn. 4:16-18 ESV).

Till then I would your love proclaim 
with every fleeting breath; 
and may the music of your name 
refresh my soul in death.

Singing Psalms, the songs Jesus sang, in the fire of affliction

In the fire, the pain of affliction, what can we sing to our Lord…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Maybe Jesus’ songbook—the Psalms—is a great starting place when our hearts feel cold toward Him. Some people read or pray-sing one Psalm a day…sounds like great medicine for our hurting hearts, especially when we sing them directly to Jesus, our beloved Savior! Understanding moments that He would have sung them in His earthly life of suffering…

It makes the wounded spirit whole 
and calms the troubled breast; 
’tis manna to the hungry soul, 
and to the weary, rest.

My suffering song today is Psalm 147. 

What aspects of His unchanging character in this Psalm draw a song of praise from you? What verbs about His actions soften Your heart? Could you sing this to Christ Jesus, the LORD, in your fire of affliction?

The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
    he casts the wicked to the ground (Ps. 147:2-6 ESV).

Singing suffering songs of praise to our loving Lord Jesus in the fire of affliction

This week’s playlist gift helps us both sing of His unchanging character, with resulting verbs of His “doing” deriving from His character. It helps us to consider Jesus as He heals, purifies, and transforms us to become more like Him, in this fire of affliction. This is our reality as Christ’s beloved bride!

Just as Susannah, I need to sing to Jesus to keep my heart softened and warm to His love. Every day of my suffering. Do you? 

Sign up if you’d like to receive weekly playlist gifts that help us both do so, with my love and prayers, sister in Christ:

First Name

Email address:

Leave this field empty if you’re human:

To read more of Lauri’s writing, you can use her devotional Bible study lament prayer journals: Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering, or Near to God: A Devotional Bible Study of God’s Character as We Suffer, or Singing the Gospel to Job: Finding Hope in Suffering. In the Valleys of God’s Love is written for children aged 3-8, a perfect read for grandparents, parents, and children to share together, preparing them for suffering to come.

1.  Cowman, L. B. (1997). Streams in the desert. Zondervan, pp. 112-113. ↩︎