Pastor’s Corner: “Mercury Rising”
Job 23:10 (AMP) – 10 But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it]. When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous]. Proverbs 17:3 (NKJV) – 3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.
In the book of Daniel Chapter 3, there are three Hebrew young men who refused to worship the idols of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. Even though they were threatened with being thrown in a furnace, they held fast in their devotion to God. Their response: “God can spare us from the fiery furnace; He has that power. But, even if He does not, we’ll never serve your gods or bow down to your statue.” Were they afraid? Yes. Was it a little warm in the furnace? You bet. But, they chose to trust God even when it made no earthly sense to do so. And, much to the amazement of their captors, God repaid their faith and they were not harmed by the fires in that furnace.
Now, to be sure, bad things will always happen to good people. But God will never take us through a time of testing that is too tough for us to deal with. No matter how difficult your trials, you can count on His promise. Not one situation is too great for us to face with the power of God. He will give us a way to endure it, to resist it, or to get through it.
1 Peter 1:7 (NLT) – 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
In this scripture, God compares our faith to a most precious and beautiful metal – gold. But when mined, this precious metal doesn’t look very precious. It’s dirty and dark. And even some gold that appears to be refined still has hidden impurities. How does gold become the brilliant, beautiful, and expensive metal we’ve come to expect? The goldsmith must patiently and intentionally hold the gold over the hottest part of his fire, liquefying it but never allowing it to boil. Only then will the both the visible and hidden imperfections within rise to the surface so the refiner can carefully skim the dross until the surface is clear. This process is repeated many times. The refiner knows the gold is ready only when he can look into the melting pot and see his reflection. In other words, the only way gold will become more precious is when it’s placed in the fire.
It’s the same in our lives – often, the impurities of our lives must be exposed to the fire so that the Lord can scoop up the filth that us revealed under “fire.” And just like the refiner, God will never allow us to boil. Finally, when it’s all said and done, God can look upon us and see the beauty of His reflection in our lives.
Let’s not despise the trials we’re facing today, but instead let’s embrace them. The Lord is using these things to prepare us to do great things for Him. Instead of anger or bitterness when a tough season hits, ask the Lord how you can grow in character and faith. And watch how the Lord blesses you through the fire.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton