“… When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” — Isaiah 43:2
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Professional golfer Xander Schauffele waited a long time to become a major champion. Twelve top-10 finishes and two major runner-ups proved he was so very close, yet so very far away. With an Olympic gold medal to his credit and many competitive results over the years, people had picked him on multiple occasions to get the signature win he’d been looking for.
His chance finally came at the 2024 PGA Championship. Becoming one of only a handful of champions to lead wire to wire, Schauffele found himself facing the final few holes with a one-shot lead and then, coming into the 18th, in a tie for first with fellow American Bryson DeChambeau. Whether Schauffele would birdie the hole and win outright or the match would continue with a playoff remained uncertain. But, with precision, patience and great calm, Schauffele managed to keep himself focused and make the final putt to win by a single stroke. The dream he had waited for was finally reality: He was a major champion.
Afterward, when speaking to the media, he was asked about how he kept his concentration and was able to pull off the most important win of his career. There were two things, he said, that he felt made the difference: “Staying in his own lane” — not thinking about anybody or anything else — and being willing to face the pressure. As he approached the final few holes and knew the score was tight, he told himself to “walk through the fire.”
Schauffele’s mindset is brilliant: If you want to succeed in sports or in any part of life, you have to not only learn to “stay in your own lane” and control what you can, but, even more importantly, you have to learn how to “walk through the fire.” You have to discover how to face the pressure because Jesus promised us it would be there (John 16:33). But He also assured us that when we came across such times, His protection would be there with us just as it was for the men in the fiery furnace as told in Daniel 3. As He said to Isaiah (today’s verse above), so He says to us: “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Knowing the provision and protection of God will be ours in these moments ought to free us up to face them with faith. It doesn’t mean the fears won’t be there, but it does mean you have a promise to fall back on to put those fears at ease. In order to follow God and live the life He has called you to, you can’t be scared of stepping into the blaze. You can’t shy away from the hard stuff because that’s where your belief is proved. Jesus has a crown of life waiting for those who endure (Revelation 2:10) and He will stand with you in the flames.
— Katherine Singer
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