April 16

Can anyone smash iron—iron from the north—or bronze? — Jer 15:12 BSB

When the Lord points out the trials His people go through, He compares them to "iron." He does not downplay their weight or lessen their oppressive nature. However, to offer a suitable remedy for Jeremiah’s soul, He brings forward something much stronger: “Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?” The answer is no. The common iron cannot break the northern iron, which is far superior, nor can it stand against that well-tempered steel, which cuts through everything it touches.

If your heart is burdened with iron sorrows, temptations, trials, and perplexities, you need the almighty power of God to cut them apart. And God can do it. Are you a persecuted believer? God can cut down your persecutor in a moment. Are you tempted by Satan? God can instantly break through Satan’s fiery darts. Are you going through a severe trial? The Lord can cut it asunder with the application of one precious promise. Are you trapped in a snare that you struggle with day and night but cannot escape? The Lord, by His word, can free you in a moment. All He needs is to bring against it “the northern iron and the steel,” and the trial is done.

Jeremiah said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.” Why? Because his sharp persecutions and trials gave him a strong appetite for God’s word. He fell upon it like a starving man upon bread. It was sweet to his soul because it brought deliverance from the temptations and sorrows weighing him down.

In the same way, the more we feel the iron nature of our trials, the more we will experience the "northern iron and the steel" of God’s almighty power and grace to deliver us. Happy are those in such a state! Happy are the people who have the Lord as their God!