Crucibles of Purification

“Therefore thus says the L ord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will refine

them and try them; for how shall I deal with the daughter of My

people?’ ” (Jer. 9:7, NKJV).

“If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts

you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to

hurt to the point of its death.”—Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His

Highest (Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour & Company, Inc., 1963), p. 271.

How do you understand the quote and text above? What has been your

own experience with the pains involved in the purification process?

Read Jeremiah 9:7–16. God says that He will “refine and test” (NRSV),

or “melt” (KJV), Judah and Jerusalem (Jer. 9:7, NIV). What two

reasons does God give for this? (Jer. 9:13, 14). How will the refining

happen? (Jer. 9:15, 16).

God’s refining and testing involved drastic action. There are perhaps three

reasons why refining and testing may feel like a crucible. First, we experi-

ence pain as God allows circumstances to bring our sin to our attention. A

little earlier, Jeremiah unhappily writes, “ ‘The bellows blow fiercely to burn

away the lead with fire, but the refining goes on in vain; the wicked are not

purged out’ ” (Jer. 6:29, NIV). Thus, sometimes drastic action is needed in

order to get our attention. Second, we experience anguish as we feel sorrow

for the sin we now see clearly. Third, we experience frustration as we try to

live differently. It can be quite uncomfortable and difficult to keep choosing

to give up the things that have been so much a part of us.

Think about the sins that you struggle with. If God were going to

refine and test you today, how might He do it? What action could

you take now to deal with this before God would need to take

drastic steps with you, as He did with Israel?