Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The Refiner’s Fire

“You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith – more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7 CSB)

Stress is a normal part of life. It is actually a good thing, in that it contributes to creativity. If there were no stress at all, we would not learn, we would not grow, we would not set goals, and we would not achieve much of anything. A certain amount of tension is necessary to life and is actually healthy.

The problem comes when “stress” turns into “distress.” When stress gets out of control, out of balance from what is normal, it then becomes distress, and distress can then become the focus of our lives. Distress creates pain and suffering, and we do not like it. It threatens us, and it hurts. And we do not understand why God allows it to come into our lives.

Peter had a perspective about this. He certainly endured more than his fair share of distress. His answer for why God allows us to go through distress and various trials is that it purifies our faith. It tests the genuineness of our faith, and beyond then, it purifies our faith, making us stronger and better equipped for life.

Peter compared this to the process of refining gold. Intense, sustained heat is applied to gold ore, totally distressing it, until the genuine gold is released, so that the dross can then be removed, leaving pure gold. And each time the gold go through the refiner’s fire, the process makes it purer and purer, and consequently more and more valuable. So it is with our faith.

Distress is not permanent. It may seem at the time that it will never end, but eventually it does. The end result will be a stronger and purer and more powerful faith, which is invaluable. That is why God allows us to go through various trials and distresses.

Lord, Whatever distresses we may be going through today, or those we may eventually encounter, help us to remember that Your purpose in allowing them to come is to strengthen our faith. Amen.

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