Gold and silver are two of the most precious metals on earth. When they are brought out of the ground, though, they are filled with impurities and in dire need of refining. The first part of the process is to subject these precious metals to a furnace that heats them to their melting point. For gold this means a heat of more than 1948 F. The second part for gold is to subject the melted gold to a chemical process which refines it to 99.5% pure.
The crucible is the chamber where those precious metals are refined. That is the purpose of the crucible. It serves no other purpose other than to afflict the gold and silver with high heat and high pressure.
God’s Word tells us that He loves His children. Because He loves us He will subject us to His crucible. We call them trials and discipline. Sometimes, God subjects us to the crucible because there is sin in our lives that must be drawn out. Just like the dross is left when the gold is refined, so also is the dross of sin left when God refines us. I will tell you that it is not pleasant to endure the discipline of the Lord. It is downright painful. It is distressing. It is a pain that is indescribable. The only thing that initially comes to mind is “how long is this going to last?” It is not pleasant to be in the Crucible. It is not enjoyable to be refined by the fire of God. But, there is blessing in discipline. Think about this for a moment. If God is disciplining you, consider this wonderful thought (I have). God loves me enough to subject me to this Crucible of discipline. He has designs for me of which I have no idea. The fact that God has placed me in His Crucible means that He is not finished with me. He has a plan for my life that is beyond my limited sight.
Sin is never pretty. It is never satisfying. It always leaves an emptiness. It always leads away from a relationship with God. It is never what it pretends to be. But, we are idiots. We think (myself included) that we can hide our sin. We think that we can play around just a little and then run back to God as if nothing has ever happened. That is not the case. Often, we play a little too long in sin, and God is required to discipline us to refine us. And just for reference, God does not use “time outs.” He uses the Crucible. God intends to make it very clear that our pet sin or whatever sin or sins we are involved in are, by no means, worth the value we place on the fleeting fun we have committing sin. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” Hear what the writer of Hebrews is saying. If you are truly a blood – bought child of God, He loves you. Because He loves you, He will discipline you.
But, what if I’m not living in sin, and I still am going through trials? “Consider it all joy, my bretheren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2, 3) No, testing and discipline are not fun. The Crucible hurts – deeply. But consider yourself loved by God for Him to discipline you and for Him to refine you – through the Crucible of Trials. The results of the Crucible are nothing less than the glory of God shining through in your life. Do not fear the Crucible. Do not fear the discipline of the Lord. He puts you and me through the Crucible because He loves us.
"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6, 7Father,
You are the God of all glory. I will not say that I enjoy the pain of the Crucible, but I understand that it is for Your glory. I understand that it is because You desire more from me than I am giving. I understand that You desire to refine me and make me more malleable and purer; so that, in the end, Your name will be made glorious in and through my life.
I am unworthy of Your love. But, You have made me worthy through Jesus Christ. Don’t let me miss Your glory by resisting. Help me to immerse myself in the Crucible. Help me to endure the horrible pain. Help me to hold tightly to You.
God, as difficult as it is to say, thank You for the Crucible.Amen.
