The Refiner's Fire

Author:
Woodrow Kroll, Tony Beckett
Source: Faith Walk
Scripture Reference Revelation
21 Zechariah
13-14

The Refiner's
Fire

Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21
Key Verse: Zechariah 13:9

The process of refining metals is used in the Bible as a metaphor of
spiritual purification. In a sense, if you have something made of pure gold or
pure silver, it is made of the leftovers. Refining is a process by which
everything else is removed and only the pure metal remains. It is accomplished
through firing, putting the metal over the fire until it is a liquid from which
can be drawn all the dross.

Our lives are not pure gold by any means. God's desire is that we be holy as
He is holy. That means there are things that need to be removed from our lives.
It also means that He will assist in that process!

God's intent is not to destroy us but to purify us. Sometimes His method is
akin to the intense heat of the refiner's fire. Our response to the process is
crucial. We can either allow Him to work in our lives, cooperating in removing
that which is impure, or we can resist or rebel.

To His people, God sent the message through the prophet Zechariah that He
would "refine them like silver and test them like gold" (13:9). That is painful,
but look at the promise: "They will call on my name and I will answer them; I
will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" The
blessing will be ours.

Don't resist or rebel against God's refining fire. Learn from the tough
times. Look for the ways in which God is using your difficulties to refine
you.

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