“He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Mal. 3:3).
A.T. Pierson wrote:
Our Father, who seeks to perfect His saints in holiness, knows the value of the refiner’s fire. It is with the most precious metals that the assayer takes the most pains, and subjects them to the hot fire, because such fires melt the metal, and only the molten mass releases its alloy or takes perfectly its new form in the mould. The old refiner never leaves his crucible, but sits down by it, lest there should be one excessive degree of heat to mar the metal. But as soon as he skims from the surface the last of the dross, and sees his own face reflected, he puts out the fire. You need to think about that! God isn’t trying to destroy you, but to develop you–transforming you into the image of His dear Son (Romans 8:29). Let us then embrace our trials, rather than seek to escape from them. When we learn to accept what God allows we don’t waste our experiences. If we maintain the right attitude, we have the assurance that our trials will produce some good that God intended. If you are “in the fire” today just remember that God has His eye on you and has hand on the thermostat. Regardless of how you feel, things are not out of control!
