9 Truths For Living God's WaySýnishorn

Adversity: He Refines Us by Fire

Cloth can dust off a piece of gold, but the metal must be refined to remove embedded impurities. That is, it must be melted by fire so that any tarnish or pollution can rise and be skimmed from the surface.

The Christian life is frequently compared to this process. When we face struggles, God is refining us like precious metal, digging deep into our lives to eliminate all the dirt and pollution. He does this not to hurt us, but to help us grow into beautiful reflections of the life of His Son (Mal. 3:3).

Too often we hear people exclaim, “This world is out of control!” Those with little or no belief in an almighty God of the universe find themselves without any source of strength or encouragement when their world begins to collapse. Family heartache, financial problems, national tragedies—these are all things we’ve witnessed firsthand. In the face of such turmoil, how can we be sure God is in control?

If I had to choose a single book in Scripture that powerfully reveals God’s complete control on page after page from beginning to end, it would be Genesis. In this first book of the Bible, we get to see God working through many different circumstances and obstacles. We see Him as the supreme Lord of creation by creating absolutely everything out of absolutely nothing. We see Him providing a way for you and me to conquer sin and death to achieve victory, in spite of the invasion of sin into the world. We see Him destroying every single person on earth with a great flood, but saving one family to repopulate the earth.

Again and again throughout Genesis, we see this pattern: God plans to do something, and despite human unfaithfulness, His perfect will is accomplished. This is the case throughout all of Scripture, and it’s still true today. God is in control … despite our pain, questions, turmoil, and selfishness. And He promises to use any adversity we face to refine us into the image of His Son.