Test by Fire
His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters.
-Revelation 1:15
This study is excerpted from a study written by Mandy at Gracefully Truthful.
Are believers also “fired in a furnace”?
Original Intent
God does not test us to find out if our faith is strong; He tests us to show us how strong we can be through Him. A goldsmith tests gold in a fire to remove the impurities and create something pure and perfect. God tests us with fire because fire removes the impurities in our hearts, making us holy and ready to be used by Him. Fiery challenges are the ONLY way we become useful to the Father.
Consider, though, that God does not throw us in the fire and leave us to burn up. He stands near, watching as the fire does its work. Just as a metalworker knows when to pull the metal from the fire, God knows just when to pull us from the fire. (Psalm 66:10-12)
Job had it right when he stated, “Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (Job 23:10)
He knew he needed this testing to stand before God without stain or wrinkle. He trusted God to bring him out of the fire at just the right time. Job trusted that God was making him pure and ready to stand before Him. He would one day see God and not perish.
“But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust.
Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh.
I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger.
My heart longs within me.” (Job 19:25-27)
Everyday Application
We now live in the Covenant of Grace after Jesus’ sacrificial atonement for us on the cross, and we know we can approach the Throne of God with bold confidence. We are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus as He paid our sin debt, and His Spirit is working in us daily to purify us through the fires of tribulations. These fires burn away all the chaff of sin in our lives and transform us into the likeness of Christ.
The Apostle Peter reminds us of this living hope,
“We are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:5-7)
This is why James tells us …
“Consider it all joy, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the test of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Paul even says we can boast in our afflictions! (Romans 5:3-5) Yes, we can be proud that God is testing us. Through the testing, we anchor steadfastly in hope! Paul knew what he was talking about. He had been through many fires of affliction, but God never left him alone to die. It produced so much character and hope within him. Wow!
I want that kind of faith. Don’t you?
So, I say, “Bring it on, Lord! Test me, try me, and make me pure.”
Find the entire Journey Into King at Journey Into King – Gracefully Truthful
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Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.