Proverbs 17:3. The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.
The crucible and the furnace test silver and gold for their purity. In the same way, God’s testing purifies our hearts, our faith.
God doesn’t need to test our hearts to find out how pure they are. He already knows the answer to that question. God tests our hearts to make our hearts pure. Through the temptations and trials of life God strips our hearts of all faithless pretension and false motivations. As James says, the trying of our faith produces perseverance. And as Peter says:
1 Peter 1:6-9. 6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Why does God allow testing? So that we might obtain the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls.
How do you know that your faith is genuine? How is your faith made genuine? Through testing. Through the purification process of pain. Through the sufferings of life that leave us with only one choice – fear the Lord, trust him, depend on Christ.
God already knows what’s in your heart. Do you? Do you know your own heart? Your own desires? Your own motivations? Your own faith? What purifying furnace of testing has God been putting you through? What is it revealing to you about you? About God?
Such purification can only take place within the crucible. A crucible is a container for melting down metals. The most important thing about a crucible is that it must be able to withstand higher temperatures than the metal itself. As the metal liquefies the crucible stays intact. The crucible doesn’t melt, it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t change. All the while the melting metal inside the crucible takes the shape of the crucible as the heat is turned up.
Christ is our crucible.
In Christ, we can be put through the purifying flame knowing that what we are becoming, Christ-like, will never change who we are in Christ. Though our condition is changing our position remains the same.
As every impurity is burned off, as we are melted into a re-formable substance, as we are poured into the image of Christ himself, we can know that our Crucible will never burn, never melt, never change. Though we don’t see him, we believe in him. Why? Because we CAN see what he is doing in our lives. We can see the purification process at work. And we can rejoice in knowing that one day we will stand before him in a faith more precious than gold.
You: What fiery trial are you going through today?
You in Christ: How does knowing that Christ is your crucible allow you to face today’s trial with faith?
Christ in you: What impurities can you see being burned off of your heart as you learn to trust Christ in you?
Pray: Father, purify me with your love in the midst of my trial. Amen.
To Live is Christ 