Refined By Fire

Trial is a reality for all people. While in the midst of suffering, it is difficult to understand what its purpose is. We know the words of James 1, speaking of how we are to “count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2, English Standard Version), but why does it seem like an impossible task? If we believe God is sovereign, we know that there has to be a specific purpose for our trial. God did not create evil or suffering, but as we know from the story of Job, allows suffering to bring out a higher purpose. Job hit rock bottom, far worse than most people will ever experience, but the Lord saw his faithfulness through trial and blessed him greatly. In Psalm 66, the Psalmist describes silver being tried. The silver is put under great heat in order for all impurities to be separated from the mineral, making it pure silver.

This is the reality of what the Lord does for us. We may be put under the fire, but through our reliance on the Lord we are made pure and will see the fruit beyond it. You may have gone through suffering in the past. You may be going through suffering now. Suffering is real, it hurts, its difficult, but there is an opportunity to rely on the Lord and trust in His sovereign plan, because as we see, the Lord brought the Psalmist into a place of abundance. The same is true for us. It may not be instant, it may not even be in this life, but there will be a day when He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and death will be no more. How I long for this day. 

We, as the Mad Charcoal team, would love to pray for you. Respond with any prayer requests, stories, questions, or encouragement.

In Christ,

Josh Hernandez