When God Doesn’t Quench the Fire: Finding Faith and Healing Through Pain

 Years back, when I lost my mum (my only parent), that very day they brought her lifeless body home, I was shocked. All I could shout was, “It’s not possible, she can’t die!” My faith was very strong, and immediately I picked up my phone and called my mentor. We started praying.

I was in the same room where her corpse was laid, with the phone placed on her ear. We prayed, cried, and begged God to raise her. After all, we have examples in the Bible where God raised the dead. Yet, nothing happened. She was taken to the mortuary, and every day I kept praying and hoping that one day a miracle would happen—until the day she was buried.

Right there, I lost all hope. Doubt set in, and I couldn’t pray again. Most times, when I opened my mouth to pray, the devil would whisper, “You prayed then, and yet you lost her. What’s the essence of praying now?” It was a difficult season for me—a slap to my Christian faith.

Many times I asked myself, Can this be real? Why didn’t God raise her and stop this shameful situation? I just wanted to wake up and find out that it was all a dream. But to my surprise, it was real—the pain, the shame, the loss, and the doubt. Did God really care?

I remember questioning God, asking if this was part of His plan for me. “Is my situation also for Your glory?” Because He once told me it was for His glorification. So I asked, Does it mean You take glory in my pain? All these questions filled my heart.

The funniest thing was that physically, I looked okay and good, but deep down, I was in pain. It was no longer just about my loss—it was about my faith. Can I still trust Him? Can I still call Him my Savior when He seemed to shut His heart against my prayers and allowed me to go through this pain?

But looking back now, I’ve come to understand that most times, God doesn’t quench the fire—He stands in it with you and helps you pass through it. Like the three Hebrew brothers, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—God didn’t stop the fire. Everyone might have thought that since they stood up for God, He would stop the fire immediately they were thrown in. But to our amazement, they were in the fire dancing and praising God—because God was with them.

Isaiah 43:2 says "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze".

So, my dear, until you acknowledge the presence of God in that bad and unpleasant situation—until you know that He is right there with you and begin to act on that knowledge—stop allowing doubt, shame, and pain to control you.  

This doesn’t mean the pain has stopped or that the situation has changed, or that the fire has quenched. But it is the truth that even though the fire is still there, my God is in it with me, and I will soon pull through.

I remember when my only prayer was, “Help me, Lord,” because I didn’t even have the strength to shout anymore. And right in the midst of my pain, He was building brokenness and resilience. We began to take it one step at a time—a little cry, a little strength, a little encouragement from the Bible, and from blessed people around me. It wasn’t easy, but somehow, we pulled through.

A lot was birthed through the process of healing. I became bold again—to pray, to preach His Word, and to encourage others.

This made me understand that whenever God allows you to pass through the fire of pain and difficulties, there’s something He wants to birth and refine in you. Pain is the commodity that can birth that result, for “or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children" Isaiah 66:8b (KJV). 

But from our human perspective, it looks as if He doesn’t care—or as if He is a wicked God without compassion for His children. That’s a lie from the devil. Because even in our sin, He loved us first. His grace is made more available in times of weakness.

If you’re not careful, the devil will twist your thoughts and make you offended in God. That’s how many Christians lose their salvation—because of pain they were supposed to maximize for their edification.

The right way to maximize pain is to cling to God. Hold Him tight. Don’t be afraid to cry when you need to, but gather yourself again and keep trusting. You won’t even know when strength will rise within you again.

So don’t expect God to quench the fire. Instead, acknowledge Him in your situation and let Him take a walk of healing, revival, and strength with you.

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