Ps 91:1 (NASB)
In the most recent posts I’ve been writing about the Crucible. It is a place that we often must endure as we journey toward a relationship with God that goes beyond the “Fire escape” salvation. God created us to have a relationship with Him. It was His desire with Adam and Eve. It is His desire for us today.
What the Crucible does is to remove the impurities in our lives, some of which we do not realize exist in our hearts. Most of us resist this Crucible because it hurts – greatly! However, it is imperative that we come to understand the Crucible, to embrace the Refiner’s Fire knowing that, in the end, we will be better for it. If you are walking in the Crucible today, allow me to give you some advice on how to endure the Crucible. If you question what my qualifications are for such advice, they are simply this: I am walking in the Crucible.
First, understand that the Crucible is not meant to kill you – only to refine. God desires a pure and holy relationship with His children and accomplishes this through refinement (Ps 66:10; Jer 29:11). There are certain lessons that we learn through simply reading God’s Word and listening to fellow Christians discuss issues of Scripture and Life. But, there are some things that God has to turn up the heat and pressure to accomplish His purpose. “Who has known the mind of the LORD, or who became His counselor?” (Rom 11:34).
Second, understand that God is putting you through this because He loves you. Although I have covered this in a previous post, it can never be stated enough that God deals with those whom He loves.
Third, understand that the process of refining is intended to draw you to a closer relationship with God Himself. I have come to realize that the goal of the Christian life is not to make it to heaven unscathed but to have a relationship with God – here and now. Most of us think that heaven is the place of relationship. Actually, I think that Heaven is the place of reward. The place of relationship is here, in our personal worlds. It is what we show to our friends and neighbors around us. It is what draws others to ask what makes us so special when it comes to trials.
Fourth, understand that you are not alone in the trial. Even though God has put you into the Crucible or allowed you to go through it, He is always with you. He is always, always there – even when He is silent. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.” (Is 43:2, NASB) “’I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you’, so that we confidently say, ‘The LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” (Heb 13:5, 6) “The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lam 3:22, 23)
Fifth, understand that the trial will not last forever. God will bring you through this trial that you are walking through. He will restore you from the sin into which you have fallen. All that is necessary is that learn what God is teaching instead of resisting the teaching of God. Instead of praying, “Let this pass,” pray “Let me understand what You are teaching me.” When we surrender to the Crucible of God, He can fashion us into what He desires and cause us to be a brilliant and precious treasure. When the pain of the Crucible is finished, when the heat is gone, He will turn our sorrow to joy. “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.” (Ps 30:5, 11)
If you are walking in the Crucible today, my prayer for you is that you will embrace God tighter than you have ever embraced Him. Stop resisting and give yourself to the refining fire of God. He will not abandon you. It is amazing that, while God allows the Crucible, He is there with us. That is because He is a Great, Great God.
Don’t miss the glory of the Crucible because you don’t want the pain. The Crucible is only a tool that pushes us closer to God. Don’t avoid it. Don’t curse it. Embrace it with the full knowledge that God will be glorified through you. You never know who is watching you and what your passage through the Crucible will accomplish.
