fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. – Hebrews 12:2
INTRODUCTION
Every one of us has problems that feel like we are walking through a “fiery” time in life. What fuel has God the Refiner added to the fire of our life, as He works to reveal Jesus in and through us? Has the heat intensified to an almost unbearable level? Maybe it’s marriage problems, and your spouse walked out? Or financial problems, and now the bank says it will no longer give you time to pay? Or challenges at work, and now the boss says they no longer need you because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Whatever the situation or intensity of the heat, be encouraged! When a refiner purifies gold, he melts it in a pot over a fire. He keeps turning up the heat until the dross, or impurities, rise to the surface. He then bends over the gold to skim off the dross and continues doing so, until he can see his face reflected in the surface of the liquid gold.
JUST LOOK UP!
Gold refined in the fire is a meaningful visual of how God refines us. “But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness” – Malachi 3:2-3. He knows exactly how hot the “fire” needs to be to bring the impurities in our hearts, minds and lives to the surface of our attention, enabling Him to skim them off until He can see His own image reflected in us. When He turns up the heat, we need to fix our eyes on Him, totally trusting Him to know exactly what He’s doing.
Has the Refiner added fuel to the fire? Perhaps a dear one died suddenly or after a very short illness? Or perhaps there is a dangerous disease such as cancer?
Praise God! The cross, the blood of God’s Lamb, trumps anything the devil can throw at us or assign to us!
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” – 1 Peter 1:6-7.
So please let us fix our eyes on the Refiner … the One ultimately in control of everything, trusting Him especially with the intensity of the heat.
Let’s be confident that there will be a healing not just an answer to our prayers, but the prayers of others for us, whether healing without surgery, with surgery, with surgery plus follow-up treatment, or through the greater miracle of the resurrection. And our healing — physical, emotional, spiritual or mental — may also be an answered prayer for others as their faith strengthens ours.
I found the following poem written by a 9 year old which seems appropriate for the situation:
Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee.
Trust Him when thy strength is small.
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Is the hardest thing of all.
Trust Him, He is ever faithful.
Trust Him for His will is best.
Trust Him for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place to rest.
Trust Him then through tears and sunshine,
All thy cares upon Him cast,
‘Til the storms of life are over,
And the trusting days are past.
As we follow the Good Shepherd through this Valley of the Shadow, we must firmly fixi our eyes on Jesus with a heart of absolute trust. May our prayers be that our faith would be purified, God would be glorified, and Jesus would be magnified through every step we take on this new journey, until the Refiner sees His own reflection mirrored in our lives.
Father God, help me trust You as my faith is purified, until my faith becomes sight, when I see You face-to-face, and the trusting days are past. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
As we continually look to Jesus, He will be the “author and finisher” of your faith. He will lead us to overwhelming victory, even amid the storms of life.
TO PONDER
The Lenten season, the period of 40 days fast, repentance and prayer prior to the celebration of Easter Sunday has begun. Please let us deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Stay Blessed!
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