Refined by God

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver. Malachi 3:3     

I received this story from a friend and thought I’d pass it on as a devotion. 

            The verse from Malachi puzzled a group in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of them offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

            That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.     

            As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities. 

            The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse from Malachi: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” 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.”  

The story points out that sometimes we are held close to the fire, but we need to remember during those times that God has his eye on us, and he’ll keep watching until he sees his image in us. Silver can be beautiful when it’s shiny, but if it’s not taken care of, it is easily tarnished and turns dark. God wants us to be shiny so he can see his image in us. God is our refiner and purifier, but we need to be willing to be open to him—to listen to his word and to develop a relationship with him.    

Prayer: Gracious Lord, thank you for your willingness to refine us and purify us when we need your cleansing. We even appreciate your holding us to the fire at times and apologize for the times we don’t respond as we should. Help us to strive to be like silver—so shiny that you can see your image in it. 

Robin Hadfield