Posted on: 10th September 2024

"I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. 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'."
Zechariah 13:9

When silver or gold is refined, it needs to be heated up to around 1000 degrees Celsius in order for the impurities to be removed.

In the Bible, there are many instances comparing God's work in us to being like a refiner's fire - an extremely hot furnace that burns off anything that is impure.

The way God made us, we are like pure silver or gold. Through life, we might take on impurities, like lies that we end up believing, and God wants to remove these things so we can have the fullness of life with Him. The way to remove impurities is fire. It could feel like we are being burned up because maybe these impurities have become part of our identity or our way of thinking, but the pure silver or gold will not be consumed by the fire. It will emerge as pure, the way God intended us to be.

So it may feel uncomfortable and painful, but ultimately as God's children, we are attracted to this fire because we know it is good. In the verse at the top, God refines the remnant. He refines the ones who remain. The refining results in a new intimacy with God and a security of identity rooted in the knowledge of Him.

I think it's important to recognise God's refining fire in our lives. When we recognise that it is His fire, we can then rest, knowing that this is a good place to be.

We can submit to the work of God in us and work with Him, knowing that His fire is love.