I recently read a story about the history of a silversmith who explained why silver must go through a fire to be refined. And the reason he gave is so that all the impurities can be burned away. And the silversmith knows when that has happened, when he can see his image reflected in the silver.
But as I read this, what stood out for me in the work of a silversmith, was what he said. “While the piece is in the fire, he must sit and watch it. He must give it his full attention; otherwise the silver could be damaged.”
While the piece is in the fire, HE must sit and watch it. HE must give it HIS full attention; otherwise the silver could be damaged. All I could say was, “Wow! God!” And as He spoke to me, I want you to get this, while YOU are in the fire, God must sit and watch YOU. God must give YOU His full attention, otherwise YOU could be damaged. And the good news is that He does! Bless the name of the Lord!
Malachi 3:3 says, “He (God) will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Many times, some of the things that we are going through makes us feel like we are in a fire. We feel like we are being tested, that we are being tried and the pain seems so severe, that we believe that if it does not stop soon, we will be destroyed. But God! God is sitting and watching you. He is sitting and watching all that you are going through. And just as the silversmith, He is giving you His full attention to make sure, to make certain, to guarantee, that you will not be destroyed. He not once turns away or looks in another direction from where you are. Hallelujah!
To refine means to reduce to a pure state. To purify. Another version of the dictionary says, it means to free from coarse, unsuitable, or immoral characteristics. It also means to acquire polish or elegance. To use precise distinctions and sublety in thought or speech.
A refiner is a person, a device or a substance that removes such impurities, sediment or other unwanted matter from something.
I want you to know that God is your refiner and you are in the fiery furnace for a purpose. You are being made holy. God wants to reduce you to a pure state. He is purifying your heart, freeing you of unsuitable and immoral characteristics. You are being conformed to the image of the Son, Jesus Christ. In the fire, your speech is being changed. You will no longer speak words of doubt, words of lack, nor words of fear, but your mouth will be filled with words of hope. Words to encourage, to build up and to strengthen. Words that speak life to dead things, words that call things that be not as though they were, words that declare victory over defeat. Words that say I shall not die, but live to declare the glory of the Lord. Words of faith. Precise distinctions in thought and speech.
God is refining you. God is removing the unwanted matter from you. Those things that you have asked him to take away shall be no more. Those things that you used to do, those people that are holding you back, those situations and circumstances that you have allowed to hinder you, God is taking them away. In the fire.
And God is not leaving you alone. He is sitting and watching you, His silver piece, His child, that you will not be destroyed. He sees every little detail and He is watching that you won’t get burnt.
And when God removes you from that fire, just like the silversmith, God will then look at His reflection, His image, His likeness, His child and beam. He might even show some teeth. J
And then you will say like Job, “But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Yesss!! Pure gold.
God is good! And He’s real.
Be blessed.
A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E
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