Malachi 3:3 (NIV) states:
He will sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver . . .
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this
statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women 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 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 that says: He will sit 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."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on
you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
A delightful reflection on the character of God,
sent most recently by Loya Hicks Weaver, of Roseburg, Oregon, whom I’ve known
since the 6th grade, and only recently again renewed the friendship
via the Internet.
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