Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
1Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ESV Bible
Pure Gold
There is a process to get pure gold. We don’t simply find pure gold just lying around somewhere.
“Refining with flame is one of the oldest methods of refining metals. Mentioned even in the bible, refining by fire is the preferable method for larger quantities of gold. In ancient times, this form of refining involved a craftsman sitting next to a hot fire with molten gold in a crucible being stirred and skimmed to remove the impurities or dross that rose to the top of the molten metal. With flames reaching temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius, this job was definitely a dangerous occupation for the gold refiner. The tradition remains largely untouched today with the exception of a few advancements in safety and precision.
The second method of refining gold involves the use of chemicals. Strong acids are used to dissolve the impurities in the gold ore and afterwards, are neutralized and washed away, taking the impurities with them. The resulting product is a muddy substance that is almost pure gold (99.999% or 24K). This muddy substance is dried until it is a powdered residue and then heated with a torch or other source of heat to melt the gold powder into useable gold.” Gold Traders website
I have told you before that my husband had a business in which he cast pewter. So I have a little understanding of this process. Though pewter is refined at a much lower heat than silver or gold. Yet I understand first hand the process. In order to get the pure metal, it has to be heated to the melting point. Then the material that has to be added to bring all the dross to the top must be added at precisely the right time. Once that is added you will begin to see all the impurities rise to the top where the craftsman can us a tool to remove them. Once all the impurities have been removed you have a brilliant mirror of molten metal. Then it is pure and can be inserted into the mold that will shape it into the item the craftsman desires to make.
So to with us, we have to be put to the test of fire. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit must be added to our lives to remove the impurities, the dross. Once these are removed, we can reflect the glory of God to this world. We can be formed into the being that God has created us to be.
Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
He Knows – We can agree with Job that God knows
He knows everything about us
He knows today
He knows tomorrow
He know the future through the end of our lives
He knows the way that I take. The road of my life, the course of my life. The path that is set before me, the plans He has for me.
When He has tried me – tested, examined, proved
We need to understand that our faith will be tried and tested. Let’s look at what Job was facing: In one day he had lost his children. He had lost his wealth. He had lost his standing in the community. He had good friends that felt that all he was going through was a result of sin in his life. He becomes covered with boils and is sitting in an ash heap, being licked by dogs.
In all that we are going through right now in our world, it is good for us to remember Job. Most of us like Job had life pretty good. Things seemed to be getting better, and we were able to live with less stress and more comforts. It looked like it could only continue to get better for us. Then a sudden trial or trouble comes our way. Suddenly without warning it feels like our life has just taken a nosedive turn. Maybe we have been diagnosed with an illness. Perhaps we have lost a job. Maybe someone near and dear to us passes away. And we feel lost and uncertain of what to do or where to turn.
Let’s think about Job. His life was going along great. Then suddenly one day one calamity after another began to occur. Job hadn’t even finished hearing of the first calamity when then next and the next and the next were being told to him. He must have been overwhelmed just trying to understand all that was being told to him. Maybe we have felt that way. One thing, then another, then another, and now even we feel like we are in a whirlpool being pulled down.
Maybe we are feeling lost and overwhelmed and wondering what is happening and where is God in all this? Doesn’t He know what is going on?
Job 23:8 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him;
Job 23:9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
Job 23:10 But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out forth gold.
I don’t feel or see where God is, I am looking for Him all around me, but not perceiving Him. But He is working, I do know that even though I don’t see Him, He is there and He is working on my behalf.
But HE KNOWS the way that I Take. Even though I can’t perceive Him, I have confidence that He sees me and Knows the way I am going. He Knows the choices I have made, that I desire to please Him. He sees my faithfulness even in these trying circumstances.
When He has tested, examined, and proved me, I will come forth as GOLD. Like Job, we can be assured and stand upon our faith that God never fails. That even when we are being tried and tested, He is right there. He knows our heart and our minds. Are we desiring Him above all else, do we only want to do the things that are right and good and pleasing in His sight?
Job found that the testing process was not an easy one. It involved a process that would take away the impurities, the dross and leave only Gold. But during the process God was still there.
I read to you from the Gold Trader’s website how that the gold must be heated to extreme temperatures in order for the impurities to be separated from the pure gold. Sometimes in our lives it may feel like we are being plunged into extreme temperatures of troubles and trials. But we have to realize that is the only way to separate the dross from the gold in our lives.
Job could have had a completely different mindset. I am sure others thought he was nutz, not blaming God for all his pain and sufferings, not getting angry and shaking his fist at Heaven. But Job chooses to stand upon his faith in God and to speak positive words, that
God Knows, God sees,
God is there and
God is watching over my steps.
I may be being tried, but I will come forth as Gold.
Like the furnace and the chemicals required to burn away and separate the dross and impurities from the mineral gold, we may have to go through fiery trials and tests in order to have the pure gold come forth from us. Otherwise we might just remain an old rock with some gold running through it. It might be the case that those about us would never even see the gold within us due to all the dross surrounding it.
1Peter_4:12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Peter said don’t think it strange when you are facing fiery trials. It is not some weird strange thing. This is no some unusual thing that is happening. Our faith and our relationship with God will be tested. We would not know how strong our faith was if it were never put to the test. There is an older song that says “If I never had a problem, I wouldn’t know that God could solve them and I would never know what faith in God could do for me”.
Peter says we are to rejoice when we are put to the test because we are sharing in Christ’s suffering that when His glory is revealed we can have exceeding joy.
The purifying process never seems great at the time. It is like Gold being put in the extreme heat. But the final product is most precious Pure Gold. The things that were not pleasing to God have all been burned away. Doubt, Fear, Anxiety all purged out and burned away. We know that we know that we know our God is true, our God is faithful, our God loves us to the extreme. The strength of our faith has increased; we know that we can stand upon our faith in God and that He will not fail us. No matter the outcome of the circumstances of our lives, He has our best in view. It is our eternal salvation that is at the finish line. He is there to help us cross the finish line. He is there encouraging us to go on. Sometimes He has to carry us to the end of the race. But we have confidence that He will always be with us and working on our behalf to see to it we do not fail or fall short of the prize.