Tag Archives: god refines us

March 3, 2025 · 5:52 AM

God’s Shaping Process

In 1501, a 26 year old named Michelangelo was commissioned to create the statue of David. The project had been attempted by two other artists who hadn’t completed the work. When the 18 foot tall slab of marble arrived, Michelangelo began chipping away large chunks of the stone. He then began taking away smaller pieces. Finally he began to sand and refine certain parts of it until it was completed. Three years later, what is now one of the most famous statues in the world, was completed. In 1504 the statue of David was placed in a chapel in Florence. There’s a story that when the pope saw the statue, he marveled at iPad asked Michelangelo what the secret to his genius was. Michelangelo replied, “It’s simple. I just remove everything that isn’t David.”

We read about this statue’s namesake in the books of Samuel. He was called to be king while he was just a teen. However, he wasn’t quite ready to be king. This young man would face giants, play his harp for a king who was jealous of him, be ran out of his home country, forced to live in caves, be joined by hundreds of society’s rejects and outlaws, and more for fourteen years. He had multiple opportunities to kill the current king and take his promised place as leader of the country, but waited on God. He understood God was chipping away everything that wasn’t David. He was being shaped and refined before he could be placed where God planned. He understood the artist knows better than the art when it’s ready. Until then, he submitted to God’s shaping and processes.

Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (NLT). Don’t fret if God is taking His time working on your life and moving you into place. He’s simply taking away everything that isn’t really you as He’s refining your life. We each have a need to recognize and understand that He is the artist and we are the work of His hand. He will be faithful to complete what He began. You are His masterpiece created for the works He created you to do (Ephesians 2:10). Like a master artisan, He is working diligently in your life at His pace not yours. Today, make a point to tell Him you submit to His design and timing. Let Him continue the work of shaping you until He’s ready by submitting to His shaping process.

Photo by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash

Refiner’s Fire

When I was in high school, we used to sing a song called, “Refiner’s Fire”. The lyrics said, “Purify my heart / let me be as gold and precious silver / purify my heart / let me be as gold pure gold / refiner’s fire/ my heart’s one desire is to be holy / set apart for you, Lord / I choose to be holy / set apart for you my master / ready to do your will.” There’s some more to this powerful song, but this is the part I want us to focus on today. It’s a prayer giving God permission to use fire to get the junk that doesn’t belong out.

I’ve seen a couple of shows where they show how they refine gold. The fire gets so hot that the gold melts. When that happens, the impurities come to the surface. The refiner then takes it off the top so when the gold cools, it’s pure. What a great picture of how God works in our lives. Difficulties often bring the worst in us to the surface. We can choose to have these impurities removed from our lives or we can be bitter. I believe God tries to purify each one of us to help us become the person He created us to be. Don’t run from the Refiner’s Fire. God is doing a work in you through it.

Here are some verses on being purified through the refining process.

1. In the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire, the Lord purifies your heart by the tests and trials of life.

Proverbs 17:3 TPT

2. I will take action against you. I will purify you the way metal is refined, and will remove all your impurity.

Isaiah 1:25 GNT

3. 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

4. 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 honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

1 Peter 1:7 NLT

5. Lord, you can scrutinize me. Refine my heart and probe my every thought. Put me to the test and you’ll find it’s true.

Psalms 26:2 TPT

Photo by raquel raclette on Unsplash

A Place Of Abundance

When we go through hard times, we all want to know why. What did we do to deserve it? Why does it have to last so long? Did God abandon us? Has He forgotten us? How much more can we endure before we break? These are all questions we think about when we go through the fire of trials. It’s been my experience that it’s not until well after that I begin to get any insight into it, if at all. So why does God allow us to face unbearable conditions?

In a word, it’s transformational. There can be no transformation in our lives without hard times. They mold us, purify us, and move us from one place to another. As my nephew says, “No pressure, no diamond.” The problem is, we want the diamond without the pressure. We want the transformation without the trial. We want strength without having to endure heavy lifting. We want things now instead of later, but that’s not how God works, nor is it how we were designed.

In Psalm 66:10-12 it says, “You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance” (NLT). It was God who tested them, put a heavy burden on them, and sent them through the fire and flood. He does the same to us today. It’s not fun, it hurts, and it’s hard to get through at times, but God has a plan.

As the psalmist wrote, He’s purifying us in order to bring us to a place of abundance. You can’t get to the abundance without going through the purification of fire. When those times come remember that if you will endure it, God is working it out for your good. He’s bringing you to a place that you could never get to without having gone through it. Also remember his promise in Isaiah 42:3, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” He’s there with you in these times and won’t let them crush you. Hang in there, abundance is coming.

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as abundance, bible, Christianity, daily devotion, Devotional, difficult times, dont quit, endurance, endure hard times, give up, god refines us, God's promises, hang in there, hard times, healing, help, hope, silver refined, walk through fire, walk through the fire i will be there, why do i have to go through this, why do we go through hard times