Refiner

Monday, September 14

Refiner

Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt. Exodus 13:17

The song Refiner expresses a powerful prayer of surrender:

“I wanna be tried by fire

Purified

You take whatever You desire

Lord, here’s my life.”

Those words sound beautiful when we sing them, but living them can be difficult. Because being refined involves fire. The process of refining gold is both beautiful and intense. Gold is placed into a crucible and heated to extremely high temperatures until it melts. As the heat increases, impurities rise to the surface and can be removed. The process may be repeated until the gold becomes increasingly pure. The purpose of the fire isn’t to destroy the gold. The fire reveals what doesn’t belong. In much the same way, God can use difficult seasons to reveal things within us that need His attention. Trials can expose our fears, our impatience, our need for control, and the places where we have learned to depend on ourselves instead of depending on God. Peter reminds us: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.” — 1 Peter 1:7 (NLT)

Notice that Peter doesn’t say the trials are proof that God has abandoned us. He says our faith is being tested and refined. Sometimes God knows something about our journey that we don’t know. We may see a delay. God may see preparation. We may see a closed door. God may see protection. We may see a detour. God may see the path that will develop the faith, character, endurance, and dependence we need for where He is taking us. Perhaps instead of cursing the season a better question is: “God, what are You developing in me through this?” God may be protecting you from something you cannot see. He may be preparing you for something you are not ready for. Or He may be refining something within you that needs to be surrendered to Him.

So the next time your path changes unexpectedly, don’t automatically assume that something has gone wrong.

Pause.

Pray.

Trust.

The process may not feel good, but the Refiner knows what He is doing.

Prayer for Today: Father, the process of going through the fire can hurt. There are seasons when I don’t understand why You have allowed certain things to happen, and there are times when I wonder why my journey seems to be taking so much longer than I expected. But today, I choose to trust You. Help me remember that a detour doesn’t mean You have abandoned me. A delay doesn’t mean You have forgotten me. And a difficult season doesn’t mean You have stopped working. Lord, refine me. When the fire gets hot, remind me that You are with me in it. Amen.