I ran across a verse this morning reading another devotional and it struck me how closely related it was to what I read in Isaiah yesterday. This one is found in Psalm 66:10-12: “God, you have tested us, as people test silver with fire. You let us be trapped. You put heavy burdens on us. You let our enemies run over us. We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a safe place.”

Have you ever wondered why you’ve experience the things you have? Why God seemed so distant in the moments you needed him most or why you felt bombarded with false accusations, loss of income or relationships? Testing is a part of a purification process, it’s not a pretty process, but it’s a necessary one.  

I love what Paul said in II Corinthians 4:7-9, “We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us. We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up.  We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” 

Do you see the thread here? The facts read out clearly in our lives, page after page, chapter after chapter, what we go through is to glorify God and make him bigger in us that we are. How can someone so large dwell in something so small and frail? His Spirit that lives in us, it skims off the dross of impurities each time the temperature goes up. He’s making something beautiful out of us, a perfect collection of fine utensils, intricately carved, perfectly placed. Stop fighting the process and yield to it. The end result is only obvious to the Master but will be revealed for all to see. You can’t stop what’s set in motion, but you can trust the Master because He has a plan.

II Corinthians 4:16-18, “That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles.  So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.” Thank you Paul for your great insight and wisdom. You truly knew and trusted the Father and with all you endured, your words ring through the ages, bringing hope to all believers everywhere.