Well, last week was a bit depressing, so this week, I want to look at another aspect of our broken world. I think I’ve established the hopelessness and vile darkness that we’re swamped in on this earth. I can’t really tell you how bad things work out, but I can tell you that I do believe they work out in the end.

We touched on this a little bit with Dear Disappointment, but I want to reiterate that I think there is always a purpose behind our suffering, a reason for the stormy season. I believe that all things work to the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28) We brought the darkness on ourselves through disobedience, but God allows it to run its course.

The Bible says He is pruning us. John 15:2 tells us this way, “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Have you ever pruned anything? (I haven’t. It’s not a good idea to let me near living, green things…they tend to die in my care…) The dictionary says that pruning is “trimming” or “cutting away.” Some sources say that you don’t always remove the dead branches of the plans, but sometimes, you have to remove living branches, buds, and such to make more room for fruitful growth.

Yowch! That can be a painful process. Plants losing limbs is one thing, but how does it feel when you lose a part of yourself? Not so good, huh? Ever cut too close to the quick when you trim your nails? That hurts. It hurts because you’ve removed more than just the end of the nail, which is dead and can’t feel anything. When you cut too far, you’ve actually cut into the part of your finger that has blood pumping through it and nerves that respond to pain. But, you know, some lessons are best learned the hard way. Some lessons take a little pain to get through to our heads.

God’s out to change us, to make us into better people, to make us like Him. He isn’t out to get us or to hurt us nonsensically. He’s not hitting nerves aimlessly or cutting off limbs without a plan. God knows exactly what He’s doing. He’s paying the utmost care to this process, and He has a specific outcome in mind. He knows what to do to remove the old, ugly parts of our character so that we one day shine like a gem through and through. Ever see a glass prism refract light? Yeah, put one light through that thing and, suddenly, you send rainbows all over the place. God’s the one shaping you so that you can be His glass prism.

One of my very favorite analogies is the silversmith’s refining process. As the story goes, a woman read Malachi 3: 3, which says, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.” (ESV) The woman visited a silversmith and asked him about the process of refining silver.

“Sir, do you watch while the work of refining is going on?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, Ma’am,” replied the silversmith, “I must sit and watch the furnace constantly, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”

She goes on to ask another question, “How do you know when the process is finished?”

“Oh, that’s quite simple,” replied the silversmith again, “When I can see my own image, the refining process is complete.”

Not only does this story give me peace, but I am awe-inspired by my God. He allows us to endure the fires of this life so that we may be more like Him. But He is always watching. Constantly he watches the silver as it burns in the fire. He knows that if we are too long in the fire, we will be injured. And God doesn’t want to see you injured, my friend. He wants to see you shine. He takes the heat away at the exact right moment, the moment He sees Himself in us.

This is a lifelong journey. We will constantly be pruned and refined, and that hurts! Have you even touched a hot stove? Or reached into a fire to pickup that hot dog you dropped? Accidentally picked up a log with the embers still burning on the bottom? Yeah, it hurts!! I won’t deny that. But the pain has a purpose. God is shaping us, molding us into His image. When the day comes that we all face God, He will have stripped us of everything that is not of Him. That lifelong work, that broken pain, it will lead to the moment we enter heaven’s gates and live eternity as reflections of God.

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” (Prov. 17:3) Your Father is refining you as silversmiths refine silver and gold. You are the silver in the hands of the Ultimate Silversmith, the Creator of the Universe. Isaiah 48:10 puts it this way: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.” Remember that the pain we endure in this broken world is for a reason, and let that fuel your determination. Let that ignite your hope for a better day.

Job lost everything he had. You know the story. He had health and wealth and everything in between. And what did this righteous man have to say about losing his family, his friends, his career? “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) The man who literally lost everything he could lose, save his very life, looked to God and said, “I know my pain is not in vain.” Neither is yours.

In the heat of the fire, in the heart of the tempest, in the darkest moments of the night, know that God’s got His eyes on you. He’s holding you in the palm of His hand and He won’t ever let you go. You’re far too precious to Him. I know it hurts now, but in the end, you’ll shine the light of pure, untainted love. What a glorious day that will be!

Love always,
Coralie

Count Your Blessings the Martins (one of my favorites!!)

Silversmith Video