Refiner's Fire

Author: Pastor Mitch
May 02, 2019
Have you been going through a tough time lately? Have you been praying about it, but answers don’t appear to becoming? Are you experiencing a crisis with no easy answers? Is there something about yourself you know needs to change? If you answered yes to any of the questions, you are likely going through what the Bible refers to as the “Refiner’s Fire.”

The Bible makes numerous references to the refining of gold and silver as a metaphor of God’s refining us through painful trials. Disappointments, frustrations, setbacks and discoveries about our weaknesses all are part of the process a Christian goes through in conforming to the character of Christ. And Christlike character does not occur all at once. It is forged over time, especially through fiery trials.

Time and again, the Bible says, God is our Refiner. Psalms 66:10 says, “For you God, tested us, you refined us like silver.” And Isaiah 48:10 reads, “Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

What refinement is God performing in your life? From personal experience, I can attest how God’s refining fire can be painful, awkward, and difficult. But the Lord corrects the ones He loves. And the pain God allows is purposeful. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, being in the fiery furnace is not meant to destroy us, but to show us Jesus so we can become more like Him.

Whatever you are going through, take it to the Lord in prayer. And ask for His wisdom, strength and guidance. And then remember, the Master Refiner makes you this promise: “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.” Isaiah 43.2

May the Lord comfort you just now as you pass through the fires of life.
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