Bless our God, O peoples! Let the sound of His praise be heard, Who has kept our souls among the living and has not let our feet slip. For You, O God, have tested us. You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net. You laid a crushing burden on our backs. You let men ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance. (Verses 8-12)
Today is Thanksgiving, 2012. And I can say with the psalmist who penned this paean to my God, I am thankful that He has kept my soul among the living and my feet from slipping off the edge! I know there are many whose year has been fraught with great struggle. They have felt tested and tried, weighed down by financial burdens, failing health or the untimely death of loved ones. Faith has been, like silver, refined in a fire. God's testing can still be a thing for which we are thankful today. The refining of our character as He endeavors to make us more like Him -- lighting up the darkness. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world......Philippians 2.
Polished silver, I think. That is what He is after. This world our proving ground...and His. I remember one day a few years ago when I was in great distress and on my face before God, crying out for His help and discernment. A ray of light came pouring through a crack in the curtains of the room as the sun rose more fully in the sky. I was surprised by the warmth of it. This is what is happening in you. I heard it clearly. What I saw during that time of prayer was the inner room of my temple sanctuary...my heart. It was lighted for sure, but the corners were dim. I noticed cobwebs there and a need for some dusting. My sanctuary needed to be exposed to enough light that it could be thoroughly cleaned. I understood this immediately. An immaculate room in which my God can dwell. Full of light. All the drapes opened on a place where the Spirit of God lives fully exposed. Cleaning house. I wouldn't have looked at the disarray had I not gone through some fire and water that made me seek God for more of Him.
Everyone goes through stuff. Christians are not exempt from a bad year or two. What we have is the assurance that what happens is not useless grinding out of our lives here on earth, but purposeful to us and to the Lord. The whole bitter or better scenario is really true for us. Trials can actually be a gift. An opportunity to work together with God to get through the seemingly impossible. God does His amazing deeds, we see them, and we are better able to trust the next time (and there probably will be a next time) we are put through the smelting process. Peter challenged us to rejoice over the various trials that have tested the genuineness of our faith because that faith is more precious than gold, which is also tested by fire. I would be very thankful for a heap of gold today! Much more so should I applaud the God of heaven for the sparkling faith He is creating in the tabernacle of my heart in which He now dwells.
I know the heat of refinement hurts. I have been in the smelting process before and I will again. But I am thankful my God wants to purify and prepare me for life in this twisted world. Thankful that He doesn't let me go my own way and end up destroyed. Thankful He let me live out His will for me this year without my foot slipping. My abundance may not be in massive wealth, but I have flowing into my life gifts unfathomable from the throne of God, imperishable, never-ending, rare and profound. I am the apple of His eye, His Bride, the Beloved of my God, a little sheep, a mighty princess warrior, a daughter of the Most High God, a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ and my
Father's little girl. Imperfect, but highly esteemed....deeply loved. My deepening relationship with Christ brings understanding of things into which even the angels long to look.
If today is rough, remember the goal is to bring us out into abundance. We can be thankful that our God never leaves us melting and smelting forever. We will shine again....brighter and brighter..until we forever reflect the brilliance of the Bright and Morning Star.
Today is Thanksgiving, 2012. And I can say with the psalmist who penned this paean to my God, I am thankful that He has kept my soul among the living and my feet from slipping off the edge! I know there are many whose year has been fraught with great struggle. They have felt tested and tried, weighed down by financial burdens, failing health or the untimely death of loved ones. Faith has been, like silver, refined in a fire. God's testing can still be a thing for which we are thankful today. The refining of our character as He endeavors to make us more like Him -- lighting up the darkness. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world......Philippians 2.
Polished silver, I think. That is what He is after. This world our proving ground...and His. I remember one day a few years ago when I was in great distress and on my face before God, crying out for His help and discernment. A ray of light came pouring through a crack in the curtains of the room as the sun rose more fully in the sky. I was surprised by the warmth of it. This is what is happening in you. I heard it clearly. What I saw during that time of prayer was the inner room of my temple sanctuary...my heart. It was lighted for sure, but the corners were dim. I noticed cobwebs there and a need for some dusting. My sanctuary needed to be exposed to enough light that it could be thoroughly cleaned. I understood this immediately. An immaculate room in which my God can dwell. Full of light. All the drapes opened on a place where the Spirit of God lives fully exposed. Cleaning house. I wouldn't have looked at the disarray had I not gone through some fire and water that made me seek God for more of Him.
Everyone goes through stuff. Christians are not exempt from a bad year or two. What we have is the assurance that what happens is not useless grinding out of our lives here on earth, but purposeful to us and to the Lord. The whole bitter or better scenario is really true for us. Trials can actually be a gift. An opportunity to work together with God to get through the seemingly impossible. God does His amazing deeds, we see them, and we are better able to trust the next time (and there probably will be a next time) we are put through the smelting process. Peter challenged us to rejoice over the various trials that have tested the genuineness of our faith because that faith is more precious than gold, which is also tested by fire. I would be very thankful for a heap of gold today! Much more so should I applaud the God of heaven for the sparkling faith He is creating in the tabernacle of my heart in which He now dwells.
I know the heat of refinement hurts. I have been in the smelting process before and I will again. But I am thankful my God wants to purify and prepare me for life in this twisted world. Thankful that He doesn't let me go my own way and end up destroyed. Thankful He let me live out His will for me this year without my foot slipping. My abundance may not be in massive wealth, but I have flowing into my life gifts unfathomable from the throne of God, imperishable, never-ending, rare and profound. I am the apple of His eye, His Bride, the Beloved of my God, a little sheep, a mighty princess warrior, a daughter of the Most High God, a joint heir with the Lord Jesus Christ and my
Father's little girl. Imperfect, but highly esteemed....deeply loved. My deepening relationship with Christ brings understanding of things into which even the angels long to look.
If today is rough, remember the goal is to bring us out into abundance. We can be thankful that our God never leaves us melting and smelting forever. We will shine again....brighter and brighter..until we forever reflect the brilliance of the Bright and Morning Star.
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