Refiner's Fire
A dear Christian friend of mine sent me this at a time in my life when it felt as though my world was falling apart. I had lost my Aunt to cancer, my husband had diagnoised with Non-Hodgekins lymphoma, the loss of my father-in-law to cancer and a house fire that destoryed 1/2 of what we owned, all within a couple of years. When I read this, it hit so close to home, and gave me the added assurance that God watches us, and cares for us even though there are times in our life when it feels as though we have been deserted, and we wonder why and how many trials God is going to send us.
For 35 years, my husband Lee has been making and designing jewelry. Using the skills and creativity God gave him to design many beautiful pieces of work. With all that had happened, he too was feeling way overwhelmed, wondering how much more we were to endure. When I read this to him, his voice cracking through the tears, he affirmed that as a jeweler, this was exactly what had to be done. I wanted to share it with all of you, in hopes that it will also bring you the peace of knowing that God watches us, always. He truely will not give us more than we can bare.
"BUT WHO CAN ENURE THE DAY OF HIS COMING? AND WHO CAN STAND WHEN HE APPEARS? FOR HE IS LIKE A REFINER'S FIRE AND LIKE FULLERS' SOAP. HE WILL SIT AS A REFINER AND PURIFIER OF SILVER; HE WILL PURIFY THE SONS OF LEVI, AND PURGE THEM AS GOLD AND SILVER, THAT THEY MAY OFFER TO THE LORD AN OFFERING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS."MALACHI 3:2,3
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy......when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts, wise.
Dr. Maya Angelou
For 35 years, my husband Lee has been making and designing jewelry. Using the skills and creativity God gave him to design many beautiful pieces of work. With all that had happened, he too was feeling way overwhelmed, wondering how much more we were to endure. When I read this to him, his voice cracking through the tears, he affirmed that as a jeweler, this was exactly what had to be done. I wanted to share it with all of you, in hopes that it will also bring you the peace of knowing that God watches us, always. He truely will not give us more than we can bare.
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy......when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts, wise.
Dr. Maya Angelou
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