Daily Devotional

In the ancient world silver never came out of the ground clean. It came mixed with rock and lesser metals, so the refiner crushed the ore, put it in the furnace, and drove the fire with bellows until the metal melted. The purpose of the heat was never destruction. It was separation. As the silver liquefied, the impurities, called dross, rose to the surface, and the refiner skimmed them off. Then he heated it again. And again. Too little fire and the dross stayed; too much and he wasted fuel and lost silver. It took experience, patience, and constant attention.

The fuller worked the same way with cloth. New wool still carried oils and dirt from the loom, and worn garments came in stained and matted. So he soaked the fabric in harsh alkaline solutions, then scrubbed it, beat it, and trampled it to drive the cleanser into the fibers. Then he rinsed it, stretched it back into shape, and laid it in the sun. The process was violent and it smelled terrible, and its entire goal was to make the garment fit to be worn again.

Here is the detail that changes everything: he will sit as a refiner. The refiner does not light the furnace and walk away. He cannot. Silver left too long in the fire is silver lost. So he stays where he can see the surface of the metal, watching for the dross, present through the whole process. Paul says the same thing in different words: I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).

Nobody refines worthless ore. Nobody scrubs a rag he intends to throw out. The heat in your life is not evidence that God has lost interest in you. It is evidence that he considers you worth the trouble, and that he is still sitting there, watching, and has no intention of leaving before the work is finished.