November 20, Faith Tested
Blazing Fire flames isolated on black
Concerning adversity, we are instructed in the Scriptures to encounter trials with joy. For trials test, purify, and ultimately refine.
"Now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 1:6-7)
"Count it all joy, my brethren when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)
"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord . . . for the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives . . . If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children . . . He disciplines us for our good that we may share His holiness . . . Pursue holiness without which no one will see the Lord."(Hebrews 12:5-10, 14)
Consider the Refiner’s Fire:
The Bible references the refiner’s fire which metaphorically sets forth the example of such substances as gold or silver refined from impurities to a truly pure substance: actual gold or silver. This represents God’s sovereign purpose for us as we go through our own “refiner’s fire.”
In Malachi 3:2-4, the Lord's refining fire purified His own people (“He is like a refiner’s fire . . . purifying the sons of Levi . . . then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord.”). In contrast, from Malachi 4:1, the Lord is like a consuming fire (signifying final and terrible judgment against all evildoers). The difference of the two fires, of course, becomes expressed in purpose. One fire purifies (as God does for His own), and one fire judges and consumes (as God does against all evil).
So, consider the refinement process in your life:
Much like the heat of the refinement process, our trials have God’s endorsement of change and growth as the friction of adversity presses against our faith to remove any impurities so that there is a truly pure substance: faith. In the midst of personal adversities, regardless of how large or small they may seem, I sense many times that God has His loving eye on something in me that needs burning off – refinement. Can you identify with the following?
Perhaps there are those attitudes, actions, or subtle expressions of pride that often go unnoticed and undetected by us. And we travel along on this journey called Christian discipleship assuming all is well between us and our Master. And in oblivion, we travel on falsely convinced that all is well. We may sense the slightest conviction from a sermon, a book we are reading, are from a small group Bible study we attend. And, in that conviction we may sense some small adjustments to our thoughts and actions. But in some cases, we still don’t see it. We do not see the exact refinement God desires over a problem area in our life. So, in His sovereign, merciful, and loving care, He doesn’t intentionally create the bad, but rather offers the testing of faith that can come through the bad. He allows some adversity to cause friction with our life of faith for the purpose of revealing to our otherwise gullible perspectives that all is not as well as we would like to believe. He then in our pain calls us to become desperately dependent upon Him far more than perhaps we have expressed in many years of our self-confidence. In that desperation, we pull closer to God, catch a fresh glimpse of His perfection and holiness, and then we see “it.” We see that “thing” (attitude or action) in our lives that needs refinement. We confess, we cry out for mercy, and we feel His tender, loving care. His forgiveness and restoration flow over us with kindness and thoroughness. We feel His peace renewed like never before. It then occurs to us: the very thing God had addressed may have had no direct correlation to the adversity we were facing, but He was performing a good work in us nonetheless. And that is when we realize the power and joy of the refiner’s fire. God doesn’t bring the problem, but He brings the testing in the problem to cause just enough friction against our faith that confession, repentance, and growth becomes the result. God purposefully brings about refinement to remove the impurities. What a painful yet life altering miracle God performs in our lives.
So today, I am not assuming you are in the refiner’s fire now, nor do I assume you need to go there. I only know that our God has a fire that refines, and the heat of our adversities becomes the locus of that refinement wherein this purifying process takes place. Therefore, I have one simple encouragement for you today: do not resist the refiner’s fire. Instead, ask God to refine. And trust Him in your adversities.
Blessings.
