Zechariah 13-14, Revelation 21 • Key Verse: Zechariah 13:9

The process of refining metals is used in the Bible as a metaphor of spiritual purification. In a sense, if you have something made of pure gold or pure silver, it is made of the leftovers. Refining is a process by which everything else is removed and only the pure metal remains. It is accomplished through firing, putting the metal over the fire until it is a liquid from which can be drawn all the dross.

Our lives are not pure gold by any means, God’s desire is that we be holy as He is holy. That means there are things that need to be removed from our lives. It also means that He will assist in that process!

God’s intent is not to destroy us but to purify us. Sometimes His method is akin to the intense heat of the refiner’s fire. Our response to the process is crucial. We can either allow Him to work in our lives, cooperating in removing that which is impure, or we can resist or rebel.

To His people, God sent the message through the prophet Zechariah that He would “refine them like silver and test them like gold”(13:9). That is painful, but look at the promise: “They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” The blessing will be ours.

Don’t resist or rebel against God’s refining fire. Learn from the tough times. Look for the ways in which God is using your difficulties to refine you.

Woodrow Kroll & Tony beckett
www.backtothebible.in