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Soul Food
He Sits by the Fire
There are many Scripture verses that strengthen and refresh my soul, but there is an almost-obscure little verse in the small book of Malachi that never fails to demonstrate to me just how good God really is! It is my earnest prayer that this might become a soothing balm to anyone who feels the weight of adversity in their lives.
“He will sit as refiner and purifier of silver…”
Malachi 3:3 (NIV)
Now just on the surface, this short passage does not appear to contain a significant amount of calming words but let me speak to you about what I consider the important part of this little verse. Often overlooked is the word “sit” in the verse. The old refiner would place the precious metals, gold or silver, into the fire to refine it by allowing the extreme heat to melt away the dross, leaving only the pure gold or silver. He would then sit down by the fire to carefully watch over the precious items he had placed into the fire.
The most significant thing for me is that the old refiner did not just insert the precious metal into the heat of the furnace and wander off somewhere, perhaps forgetting that the metal was in the fire. This practice would allow the intense heat to destroy the gold or silver as well as the impurities
The mere fact that one is a Christian and is attempting daily to serve God does not mean that difficulties will not enter into that child of God’s life. Quite the contrary! Many times daily adversities are the one sure sign that we are earnestly striving to follow Christ’s teachings. Immediately after their conversion, many new Christians believe mistakenly that once they have given their lives to Christ, all troubles are over. In many cases the real trouble is just beginning! Satan will hurl his fiery darts at the babes in Christ in an effort to derail them from the narrow road.
In order to purify the souls of His flock, God, through His permissive will, allows adversity into the lives of His children. He is like the refiner of old; He places us into the fire to melt away all of the impurities in our life. He desires us to be Holy as He is Holy. So, into the purifying fire we go! That is when we think that our pain is more than we can possibly bear. There are so many forms of this purifying fire! Perhaps it is the loss of a loved one. It might be the loss of a job. That best friend may have disappointed you. We could go on and on—everyone has a personal story. There are few of us that have never felt the heat of the Refiner’s Fire.
The reader will notice that nowhere do I state that this “refining” process will be an easy one; it definitely is not! I can bear witness to that fact—I have at times felt the flame! Now it is at this point that faith must enter the equation. For Scripture assures us:
…without faith it is impossible to please God.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
We must believe in Him to the extent that we willingly place our soul in His mighty—yet loving—hands. With the assurance that He will never fail us, we can confidently lay our lives at His feet as a living sacrifice to Him. We can do this knowing that He will always supply us with the resources necessary for the task He lays before us.
Just like the refiner of old, God knows the exact instant to pull us from the fire of adversity! He does not place us into the heat of the flames then wander off aimlessly. No! God, the great Refiner, SITS down by the fire lest the heat become even ONE degree too hot.
The Christian Counter
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