I’ll deliver the surviving third to the refinery fires. I’ll refine them as silver is refined, test them for purity as gold is tested. Then they’ll pray to me by name and I’ll answer them personally. I’ll say, ‘That’s my people.’ They’ll say, ‘God—my God!’”
Zechariah 13: 8-9 The Message
This last year, both Jeana and I had to have significant work done on our wedding rings. Hers literally wore down to the point that it both broke in half and split as well. Mine had worn down as well, as it had grown thin, and become mishappen. After 35 years, our marriage is still strong, but the symbols of marriage needed a bit of work! Our local jeweler remade both our rings. He completely recast Jeana’s ring, while making mine slightly larger, and strengthening it. Our new rings are now stronger and ready for another 35 years of marriage.
However, the process of transforming the rings was not easy, involving a combination of jeweler’s skill and intense heat. Scripture also speaks about us being refined by fire. We can come to him with what we have. God will refine us, removing our impurities. He will also build us up, and strengthen us. His desire is to help us as we strive to be pure in the power of the Spirit.
When we go through difficulties in life, this scripture from Zechariah encourages us to think of those trials as “refining moments.” They are times of trouble which we cannot avoid. Yet when we work through them, we learn positive lessons about ourselves. Surprisingly, we find a strength we did not know that we possessed. Once out of the valley, we may emerge stronger, more graceful, and more resilient than we were before. We all have the potential to become a beautiful reflection of our Lord. Besides work and persistence, all it takes is allowing Christ, the perfect jeweler, to make something beautiful of us.
One of my favorite Christian songs speaks of God refining us through trials. The song is “Refiner’s Fire”, by Brian Doerksen. The lyrics are as follows:
Purify my heart Let me be as gold and precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold, pure gold, Lord
Purify my heart Let me be as gold and precious silver Purify my heart Let me be as gold, pure gold
Refiner's fire My heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for You, Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You, my Master Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart Cleanse me from within And make me holy Purify my heart Cleanse me from my sin Deep within
Refiner's fire My heart's one desire Is to be holy Set apart for You, Lord I choose to be holy Set apart for You, my Master Ready to do Your will
Here is a link to one rendition of “Refiner’s Fire”:
Refiner's Fire (worship video w/ lyrics) Simple worship video we use at church I do not own the songs or the lyrics ! If you download you must own your own legal copy of the audio and be a member of CCLI to be legal www.youtube.com
May God refine us through all the trials of life, so that we may become stronger, more beautiful, and more faithful in all things… Amen!
Prayer
Holy Lord,
I thank You for caring about every detail of my life. You love me enough to work with whatever it is that I bring to you. Help me, encourage me, and give me Your strength when I go through difficult times. Sometimes, it seems impossible for me to get through them without You! Thank You Lord, for Your faithful love. Help me to share Your amazing love with others.
I pray this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen
