The Dross Purged

And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, ‘It is My people’: and they shall say, ‘The Lord is my God’.

—Zechariah 13:9

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Grace transmutes us into precious metal, and then the fire and the furnace follow as a necessary consequence. Do we start at this? Would we sooner be accounted worthless, that we might enjoy repose, like the stones of the field? This would be to choose the viler part: like Esau, to take the pottage, and give up the covenant portion. No, Lord; we will gladly be cast into the furnace rather than be cast out from Thy presence!

The fire only refines, it does not destroy. We are to be brought through the fire, not left in it. The Lord values His people as silver, and therefore He is at pains to purge away their dross. If we are wise, we shall rather welcome the refining process than decline it. Our prayer will be that our alloy may be taken from us rather than that we should be withdrawn from the crucible.

O Lord, Thou triest us indeed! We are ready to melt under the fierceness of the flame. Still, this is Thy way, and Thy way is the best. Sustain us under the trial and complete the process of our purifying, and we will be Thine forever and ever.

—Charles Spurgeon, ‘Faith’s Checkbook,’ p. 20

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O, my precious one. (gentle)

He draws us tenderly toward the flames, and as we feel the heat, our natural inclination is to buck against Him and run. We are afraid of being burned, of being destroyed. But O no, my sweet one—no. (extra gentle) The jealousy, the self-pity, the doubt, the despair, the sin, beloved—that is what He longs to ‘burn away.’ No harm shall come to us, my beautiful child—not even in the midst of the flames. (extra tender, reassuring)

Come, beloved! let us, then, go with Him into the furnace willing, yes? (gentle) Let us not settle for lesser things when He is offering us Himself—finally, fully—perfect communion, perfect intimacy, perfect rest, perfect Love! We choose Him, Together, do we not? (gentle) We know, deep down, that His way is the best way. We seek to honor Him above all.

And too, He refines us so that we may be more like Him, beloved. (earnest) So that we can know more of Him. He’s only trying to show us the way—the way from suffering to glory! O, beloved—what a gift, what a severe mercy!

I know it’s hard, beloved. (gentle) I know. (desperate to soothe) But we are not alone. Our Good Shepherd, He guides us. He leads and speaks, He knows just what we need; He carries us tenderly in His arms. He promises to finish the good work He began in us. O, what Love! (amazed) Let us trust that not a hair on our heads will be singed as we pass Together through this crucible, my beautiful one. May it be so—for His good and glory, and for ours as well. (fervent)

Amen.