I Peter 1:6-7

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

In Bible days, refiners used fire as a gold purifier. Fire caused impurities to rise to the surface for easier removal. Peter used the gold-refining process as a metaphor for the way trials work in the life of a believer.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re in a refiner’s fire—feeling the heat of struggles, illness, or other difficult situations in life? Take heart! Hard times can often be used by God to purify our faith. We pray and ask God to get us out of the situation and end the pain, the hardships, but He knows what’s best for us! Stay connected to Jesus! He’ll walk with us every step of the way!

Hardships can come from outside sources but can also be brought on by ourselves. Poor decision-making and knee jerk reactions can often be the cause of our trials. God can sure use these situations to teach us and help us to grow in wisdom!

Hardships can be brought on by other people treating us bad or unfairly. The enemy uses friends, family, coworkers, bosses and even people on the highway to bring us down. But these are opportunities for us to grow in character and be like Jesus!

Pain or sickness in the body can also be used by God to refine us. While we are waiting on our healing, what are we saying, what are we doing? Speaking and believing the Word of God over our bodies instead of embracing our physical ailments is definitely a refining process of our faith. It’s not a matter of Christians never having to suffer in their physical bodies, but rather how do we act through the suffering? Remember: you’re already healed by the stripes that Jesus endured. Be faithful in waiting for the healing to manifest in your physical body!

Just to clarify… God is not the source of any hardship, suffering or sickness. He is a good Father who longs to give good gifts to His children. But, He will use anything we put in His hands to refine us, to help us grow and to purify us. So, let’s surrender all things to Him. The Bible says He will make all things beautiful in His time.

I thank you, Father, that You work all things together for my good. Mold me, make me what You want me to be. You are the Potter, I am the clay. Make me a vessel for Your purpose and Your kingdom. Purify my heart, my intentions and my actions. In Jesus name. Amen.