Consumed by Fire

                                                               Photo by Stephen Radford on Unsplash

Situated a few miles down the road from our house, is a remnant of an old weathered barn. For years, it stood there quietly—its once-strong frame now worn and faded. Time and elements had left their mark. You could see every bit of its history etched into the wood.

And yet, it still stood.

Recently, a fire swept through and consumed much of that barn. Today, only its charred frame remains. But the frame is still standing...upright and unmoved.

As I drove past the remains of the old barn not long ago, the Lord whispered something deep into my heart: after everything—years of weathering, years of wear, and now consumed by fire—this barn is still standing. That quiet moment turned into something more, as I began to consider why.

How was this barn able to endure the fire when others may give way?

The answer is in the composition and integrity of the wood.

Old-growth wood—the kind used to build barns generations ago—is profoundly different from what we use today. The composition of the old barnwood is thicker and denser, shaped by time and pressure. It doesn’t bend easily under weight or sway with every passing wind. Old wood resists decay from the inside out and holds its form, even after years of surviving the shifting seasons. Its grain is tight—layered slowly, year after year—telling the story of growth that wasn’t rushed. What gives old wood its strength isn’t just age—it’s how it was formed and what it has endured. 

And I realized: this is what I want to be like in my walk with God. 

We will go through hard seasons. We will face storms, winds, and sometimes we will be consumed by fire. But if our composition is established in God, and our integrity is shaped by His Word, just like that old barn, we will remain standing.

The fire that swept through the barn was meant to destroy it. And maybe you’ve walked through situations where the flames felt the same way, meant to consume everything in your path. 

But here’s the truth: when we walk with God, what is meant to destroy us becomes what HE uses to refine us. Although the flames may rage, they will not consume us; instead, they often clear away the things we were never meant to carry. The fire doesn’t get the final say—He does.

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” IS 48:10

Every time I drive by and see the charred frame of the barn still standing, I’m reminded that old wood stands because of what it’s made of. For those of us whose foundation is in God and HIS word, so will we.