The Season of Refinement

In Isaiah 48:10 the Lord says, “I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

Why is it that we pray for God to change us, and to make us anew, yet when we are faced with our lives entering the Crucible of God, we are conflicted as to whether or not the heat and the pain are worth it?

When you look up the word Crucible it has two meanings:

1. A container in which metals or other substances can be melted or subjected to VERY HIGH temperatures.

OR…

2. A situation of severe trial, in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.

Creation of something new! Yes! Sign me up!

Wait… Severe Trial?? Yes. It is required to make something New.

Unseen Value of the Rocks

Gold, when extracted from the earth, does not look like gold we find in a jewelry store. In fact, it is not always recognizable due to the impurities that make it look like it’s not valuable at all. Sound familiar? The world we live in, and the lies of the enemy that tend to create an outside shell on us, make us like unrefined gold. Yet, for the person searching for it, (God), the ugliest lump of gold is of great value, and the potential for beauty is evident. God sees our potential before we are even born. He made us not only in His image, but for His purpose. He loves us and picks us way before we see our own potential. He loved us while we were still Sinners!

In my life I have always been one to avoid controversy. To avoid conflict at all costs. Being in the trenches or in the midst of battle and saying, “God?! How long must I suffer? How long will this last?” We want to be changed but we don’t want the transformational process that is required to reach that place God has for us. June Hunt shares there are 5 steps to the Refinement of God.

1. The Breaking of Our Flesh

For silver or gold to be refined, they must take hardened rock called ore and break it, so that it can then be heated. So often this is a symbol of God breaking our habits or even our hearts from being hardened to the ways of our flesh, and being willing to submit to His will for our lives. Unless this process happens, God cannot, nor can the refiner begin the process of refinement into something far greater.

2. Through the Fire by way of the Crucible

As I said earlier in the post, the crucible is a fireproof container in which metals or other substances can be melted or subjected to VERY HIGH temperatures. I see the crucible as the Hand of God. Yes we are put into the fire by way of the crucible yet the crucible cannot be destroyed. It is what will hold us together during the fire. It gently molds us and holds our shape as the refiner removes those things of us that are not of Him or His reflection.

3. Removing the Dross (Impurities)

As the ore/rock is heated in the crucible, the “dross” or impurities, begin to rise to the surface. In the midst of hard times, especially when no one else is around and we feel under fire, we begin to see those things about ourselves that are not very pretty. Anger or frustration. Dishonesty and disloyalties. We could go on. Anything that is keeping us from being a reflection of our Refiner, God, is exuded from our flesh/soul.

4. The Purifying

During this process, the refiner continues to scrape away the impurities and return the crucible back to the fire, up to 7 times, until those deeper impurities are released. God knows that our flesh is like an onion. He had to peel away the layers of who we have become and that some hurts/habits/or hang ups will take longer than others to be removed.

5. The Reflection of God

The process of purification will continue until God, our Refiner, can see a clear image of Himself. See our impurities, dross, will distort the reflection to where we don’t see an exact replication of God but some of the world. He wants to continue to transform us until we are no longer “of this world” but of His image.

Similar to Gold, when silver is refined it brings another valuable perspective of the refining process. In our Season of Refinement, God never leaves us. Here is story I saw online of a lady talking to a silversmith about this process.

“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.’”

If the furnace/fire of affliction went too long, we would be destroyed. Wow. We talk about Gods perfect timing and here we see that again. He knows exactly how long we need to be in the fire so that He can see His reflection in us, but we are not destroyed. Isaiah 43:2, “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” He also will pull us in and out, long enough for a set of impurities to arise out of us, and then will put us back in, in the next “season”, for the next phase(s) of refining.

God reminds me that even when the fire gets hotter, or the pressure on me gets stronger, He is still with me. Our Refiner stays with us. If you are willing to surrender your will to His will, God promises to produce, through your trials, He will transform you into something far more valuable than gold.

Watch this video and listen to this song, “The Refiner”, by Maverick City Music. Allow God to hold you, to refine you, and to prepare you for much greater than you ever thought possible. When we can’t see our potential He calls us more valuable than Gold! Glory be to God!