Thursday, December 5, 2024  //  Day 5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. —1 Peter 1:3–9

In the book, “The Sweet Side of Suffering,” Ester Lovejoy depicts a beautiful picture of the refinement and purification of gold. She tells a story of a time she took a group of children on a field trip to a goldmine. She explains how the goldsmith would place what looked like a black rock on the end of an iron rod. He would then stick that piece of ugly rock into the molten hot furnace where he would rotate and refine the piece. Then, he would take it out, let it cool, and place it back into the furnace. He would repeat this process over and over, and each time the rock would come out looking a little bit more like gold. Curious, she asked, “How do you know when it’s done?” The goldsmith smiled and said, “When I can see my face in it.”

Suffering can take many forms. When it strikes, our faith is tested, questions arise, and beliefs can shift. Every difficult season, every diagnosis, and every setback can feel like we are being placed into the molten hot fire of life’s furnace. It’s during these times that Christ longs to use our suffering, in whatever form it may take, to draw us back to Him in deep and intimate fellowship. What comes out is never the same as what entered in. It now resembles something new, something in closer resemblance to Jesus. Sometimes it’s in the middle of waiting patiently for the good God is working that we discover God Himself is all we really need. God alone – not everything working out the way we thought it would – is our hope. 

We don’t have to wait for our circumstances to change to experience Him right here and right now. In fact, we can be expectant, sitting on the edge of our seats in anticipation of what God is going to do next. We must intentionally open our eyes to look for the grace He will lavish upon us while He sustains us in our hardship. This transformation is a clear marker of our refinement: realizing that we crave  the Healer more than the healing – the Blesser more than the blessing. 

So even when you remain in the fire, be on the lookout for His provision and protection. His mercy and grace bring a triumphant and victorious hope that will one day end all of our suffering. In the meantime, we can know the transforming power of that hope here on earth.