Thursday, January 9, 2014

Refined

I don’t know about you but I don’t do well when technology fails. Almost everything I do, especially at work, depends on computers working. Normally, it does, but about three weeks ago one of our computers failed. Production halted. With what little knowledge about the workings behind the screen and keyboard, I tried desperately to fix it. Nada. Then we called in the brilliant ones and they couldn’t fix it either. It doesn’t stop there. As I write this, our IT Director is diligently working after hours, fixing server issues…a completely different technology issue.
 
Despite all of this, I thank God for refining my heart about these things. There have been times in the past when I would stomp my feet and throw my hands in the air in total frustration. Sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally.
 
Now I pause and thank God that everything technical worked beautifully on Christmas Eve. William Close and Earth Harp Collective lead breathtaking music that made our hearts stop as we celebrated the birth of our Christ King, Baby Jesus. Our savior, our redeemer and, yes, our refiner.
 
In Zechariah, we read about God’s refining*
 
“I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure.I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.They will call on my name, and I will answer them.I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” –Zechariah 13:9 (NLT)
 
 
*Refining is mentioned several times in the Bible and it was quite a process. The ore was crushed to tiny pea size pebbles and then ground to powder by hand. This powder was spread on a slightly inclined stone table and water was poured over it to wash away the dust and dirt from the earth. Since the gold pieces were heavier, they would stay on the table where they were collected, dried and melted in a closed crucible with some other materials for about 5 days. At the end of the 5 days, the gold came out pure.
 
On Christmas Eve, brass wires stretched across our worship center from stage to balcony to lead us into a magnificent, holy night of worship. Surely that brass must have gone through a refining process at one time because still, after having been taken down, they shine brilliantly in the dimmest light.
 
 
Imagine God doing that with us... Washing away all of our junk…our impatience, our reliance on things of this world…on the things that have a grip on us.

If we surrender to His refining process, the imperfect, frustrating moments of life will, along with our imperfect reactions will fade away as His pure brilliance shines through us.

Then, we too, can shine brilliantly in the dimmest light…even in the darkness.