Of Fire & Swords!!!!
Fire…fire is an interesting phenomena. One one hand, it is a destructive force that can obliterate towns and forest alike. On the other hand, it can be harnessed for warmth, cooking, lighting and for power development. And on a completely different hand, it can be used to heat metals up, so that they can be refined, hammered and shaped to be used as jewellery, a tool or a weapon.
During the process of obtaining a pure block of metal - be it a precious metal like gold or silver, or a more utilitarian type of metal like copper or iron - an intensely high heat is needed to separate the impurities from the metal. Only once it is in its pure form that the metal can be used properly. If metal has impurities in it, then it is weakened and will fail under stress and pressure.
Our lives are no different…stressful, pressure laden situations form who we become as people. It is how we react to those situations that builds our character (or expose its weaknesses).
This is where swords and sword-making comes into play…
There have been several common methods to make swords over the eons, however, one technique that was (and in some places still is) used to make strong swords. In it the blacksmith heats, hammers and folds the metal over on itself multiple times before hammering the metal out into the shape of the sword. It is a process that involves exposing the metal to moments of extreme heat, followed by times of severe beating, stretching and folding.
So, what does that process do to the metal that makes it good for swords?
It hardens and strengthens the metal, while still allowing the metal to be flexible enough to take a strike when being used in battle.
Our lives are no different. There are times in our lives where the heat is turned up, and we face intense events that change who we are. Then we face events that mould us, shape us and strengthen us.
In the Christian context, God uses difficult times to test and strengthen our faith and our trust in Him. It is a process that is covered in both the Old and New Testaments.
Here are some scriptures which discuss the importance of, need for, and results of having a refining fire event/s occur in your life…
1 Peter 1:7 says “ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
Isaiah 1:25 “I will raise my fist against you. I will melt you down and skim off your slag. I will remove all your impurities.”
Proverbs 17:3 “Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”
Psalm 66:10 “You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.”
You will notice several common key points from all of those scriptures:
Times of Testing: Difficult events that occur within our lives often (not always) are tests from the Lord: What do tests do? They are a way to identify what our level of understanding, knowledge and at times skill level is within a given area. They could be driving tests to see how well we can drive and follow road rules. Testing our eyes to find out how well we see. Testing of our knowledge of policies and procedures at work. And the list goes on. God will tests us to see if we are willing and able to walk the talk - to actually trust God in what he is trying to do in our lives, and do the things he has promised us.
Purification: In a forge, fire purifies. It separates out the pure metals, the precious metals from the impurities (the unwanted substances that weaken the metal for its intended purpose). Testing times in our lives serve to bring our failings, our imperfections, our sins to the surface so God can remove them from our lives.
Purposeful: The refining trials of our lives are purposeful. The end goal for a refining fire is to produce pure metals that can be used in jewellery etc - or for the heating up and folding of metal to be used as a weapon. There is a distinct reason behind the actions that lead to a final product. God is trying to purify us, to head and fold and bend us to His will so that we become more like Him.
So, why all the hardship and struggle in our lives - not all of is it the effects of living in a sinful world - but rather a time of testing by God to make us better people, to make us more like Him. It also serves to call us to Him, in order to have a closer relationship with him.
We see this in Zechariah 13:9 which tells us that God, “…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.’”
I pray that despite the unpleasant nature of whatever you are struggling with, and through at the moment that you draw close to God and allow him to do his perfect will and work in your life. I pray that you draw closer to Him in ever way. May you all be blessed in this season of your life.