Sunday, November 18, 2012

A Painful But Necessary Process

Reflection

Close observation,
The most intense heat;
Silver is purified,
The process is complete.
Close observation,
I’m driven to my knees;
And He’s a little closer
To purifying me.

There was a group of women in a bible study group, reading the book of Malachi. As they began reading chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver”. This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire to 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 so as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding each of 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 it the entire time it was in the fire; for if the silver was left even 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 the easy part…when I see my image reflected in it then I know it is refined”.

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep His hand on you and watch over you until He can see His image in your countenance.

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