Pure Gold

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him…

And I will give thanks to Him in song.”

Psalm 28:7

    

    A few years ago, I came across a quote by a Chinese pastor who had been imprisoned for his faith (and who was later martyred):

Pure gold fears no fire.

Referring to the smelting process used to refine gold, it reminds us that only impurities and unwanted elements are removed during the melting process.  The gold itself is not harmed or destroyed.

    Likewise, as followers of Christ, we have no reason to fear the trials and hardships we encounter in life.  If our focus is correctly placed on Him, then these “fires” only refine our faith, and we emerge from the furnace more pure than when we entered.

    Yet this simple concept is unbelievably difficult to accept sometimes.  Even small “fires” often bring with them a flood of questions that haunt us, the most prominent being “Why is this happening?”  Whether it’s just a frustrating day filled with annoying little setbacks, or a massive, life-altering event, we tend to become preoccupied with “why.”

     Unfortunately, we are not always given the answers that we seek.  What we are given, however, is far greater.  “They cried to You and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” (Ps. 22:5)  Comfort, peace, hope, and even joy can be found in the midst of even the most intense furnace if we trust in God and praise Him.  And few things in this world proclaim the hope of Christ more loudly or clearly than the praise of a suffering believer.

     Although we are not all facing a massive furnace, even in the small tests, we can truly refine our faith if we are willing to praise God in the midst of hardship.  And that kind of faith tends to work like a spark - that ignites the faith of others and soon encourages many to become like pure gold.

   

                      Not I, but Christ…

Tim