THE FIRE

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1Peter 1:7)

We remember the skilled work of the refiner, how he would sit by his crucible, fixing his eyes on the metal, taking care it was not too great, and letting the metal stay in the crucible only as long as necessary for all the dross to be consumed.

The indication of this is the reflection of the refiner’s own image in the glowing mass.

  He sat by the furnace of sevenfold heat,
As he watched the precious ore;
And closer he bent with a searching gaze
As he heated it more and more.

  He knew he had ore that could stand the test,
And he wanted the finest gold
To mould a crown for the king to wear,
Set with gems of a price untold.

  So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Though we fain to say Him ‘Nay!’
And He watched the dross, which we had not seen,
As it melted and passed away.

  And the fire grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears –
We saw the fire not the Master’s hand,
And so questioned with anxious fears.

  Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above
That bent o’er the fire, though unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable love.

  Can we think it pleases His loving heart?
Ever to cause us a moment of pain?
Ah, no! He sees through the present cross
All the bliss of eternal gain.

  So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure;
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat
Than was needed to make it pure.

(Job 23:10; Malachi 3:3; 1Peter 1:7)

Page created 1 November 2006