Trial by Fire
I will bring the third part into the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them like gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will hear them. I will say, 'It is my people;' And they will say, 'The Lord is my God.' — Zechariah 13:9
That the proof of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even though it is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. — 1 Peter 1:7
Author
Charles Spurgeon
Summary: Grace transforms us into precious metal, and the trial by fire is a necessary part of our purification. We should not prefer the comfort of remaining outside the crucible, for that would mean giving up our share in the covenant. Better to pass through the furnace than to be separated from the Lord’s presence. The fire does not destroy us: He leads us through it and removes our dross because He values us. Rather than reject the trial, let us receive it and ask that our impurities be removed, not that we be taken out of the process. May the Lord sustain us and complete His work in us.
Grace transmutes us into precious metal, and then the fire and the furnace follow as a necessary consequence. Do we begin at that point? Would we prefer to be deemed unworthy so that we might enjoy rest, like the stones of the field?
That would be to choose the basest portion: like Esau, it would be to take the stew and renounce our portion in the covenant. No, Lord, we would gladly be cast into the furnace rather than cast out of Your presence!
The fire only refines; it does not destroy. We must be led through the fire, and we will not be left there. The Lord values His people as silver, and so He takes the trouble to remove their dross. If we are wise, we will welcome the refining process rather than reject it. Our prayer will be that the alloy in us be removed, rather than that we be taken out of the crucible.
O Lord, You truly do test us! We are ready to melt beneath the fierceness of the flames. Yet this is the way, and Your way is best. Sustain us in the trial, and complete the process of our purification, and we shall be Yours forever and ever.
Source: The Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith. Translated by Allan Roman.
http://www.spurgeon.com.mx/chequera/meditames/febrero.pdf