(from Streams of Living Water for a Thirsty Soul)
“…he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” Malachi 3:2 (NRSV)
Every spring I have to make an adjustment in my life. I have to “switch gears” from reading, writing, and pursuing projects I enjoy—to gardening, yard work, and other tasks which, for me, are pure work.
One spring it was especially hard for me to make that adjustment. In fact, I struggled with it all summer and felt terribly discouraged. I couldn’t understand why I was going through the wilderness.
Then one day I read Malachi 3:2 and immediately knew there was something in it for me. The phrase “he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” caught my eye. I did some research and found in those days a refiner of silver sat by the fire as the silver was being purified, watching closely that the fire didn’t get too hot or too cold.
“That’s what I’ve been doing for you all summer,” God spoke to my heart. He had been watching that my struggle didn’t get out of hand, but that “the fire” was just right for my refining and purifying.
How wonderful to know we’re in safe hands when we go through the refining and purifying we need in order to mature as God’s people.
PRAYER: Thank You, God, for keeping the “fire” just right in my refining process.
Related verses: Deuteronomy 4:20; Isaiah 48:10; Zechariah 13:9; Titus 2:13-14
Speak Your Mind