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This is a story I like to pull out and reread now and then, when I'm beginning to "feel the heat" in my life:
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at the next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest, so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."
~~~~~~
For me, feeling the heat of the fire is bearable if I can remember that God has his eye on me and will keep watching until he sees his image in me -- and he won't let the refining go on so long that I am destroyed, because he's the Master Silversmith, and knows what he's doing. ;-)
Not that I'm feeling the heat in particular today, but some of my friends are -- and for myself, I'm thinking ahead and gathering my strength for an imminent time of testing with all that is happening around here in the next couple months. I'll keep you all posted on that when the time comes. ;-)
Otherwise, today is a beautiful spring day, and I'm hanging laundry out and getting things cleaned up and put away, and going driving with my son, and maybe I'll even get some writing done. ;-)
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at the next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.
He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest, so as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."
~~~~~~
For me, feeling the heat of the fire is bearable if I can remember that God has his eye on me and will keep watching until he sees his image in me -- and he won't let the refining go on so long that I am destroyed, because he's the Master Silversmith, and knows what he's doing. ;-)
Not that I'm feeling the heat in particular today, but some of my friends are -- and for myself, I'm thinking ahead and gathering my strength for an imminent time of testing with all that is happening around here in the next couple months. I'll keep you all posted on that when the time comes. ;-)
Otherwise, today is a beautiful spring day, and I'm hanging laundry out and getting things cleaned up and put away, and going driving with my son, and maybe I'll even get some writing done. ;-)
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Date: 2005-04-28 05:55 pm (UTC)From:That's a lovely story. Thank you for sharing it.
Enjoy the nice weather today. :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-04-28 06:13 pm (UTC)From:It's lovely out, isn't it? Even when the sun is behind a cloud. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2005-04-28 06:08 pm (UTC)From:No wonder He had so much cleaning up to do in my life lately. He wasn't seeing much more than dross.
(((((((((((((((((((((you)))))))))))))))))))))
Praying for you, and thank you for praying for me.
no subject
Date: 2005-04-28 06:11 pm (UTC)From:But it's all cleaned up now and shining bright as can be -- white as snow, in fact! (((((((You back)))))))