When God Doesn’t Remove the Fire

• By candidasullivan
• February 16, 2026
• No Comments

We all fight battles that no one else knows about.

Sometimes the heartache feels so isolating. So personal. So heavy.

But if there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is this:
God understands my pain.

He sees the silent tears.
He hears the whispered prayers.
He knows the ache that no one else sees.

Just because He doesn’t immediately deliver us from our trouble doesn’t mean He can’t or won’t. It means there is purpose in the process.

Sometimes it is more beneficial for us to walk through the problem than to be rescued from it. When we begin to see our hardships as possible gifts instead of punishments, we open ourselves to the blessing hidden inside them. Trials stretch us. Refine us. Strengthen places we didn’t even know were weak.

Right now, I am in a place of growth.

And growth hurts.

It feels uncomfortable because it is meant to transform me. When we go into the fire with the Lord, He doesn’t burn us, but He molds us. He reshapes us into something stronger, deeper, and more resilient.

The key is staying in the fire long enough for the work to be completed.

If we escape too early—through complaining, quitting, or resisting—we may avoid the heat, but we also avoid the strengthening. And then we break at the first sign of resistance.

So even through tears, I am thankful.

I know there is a blessing on the other side of this trial. I may not see it yet, but I trust the One who does. One day, I will look back and understand why I had to walk through this fire.

And I know the pain of this moment will not compare to the joy that is coming.