Jul
22
Tried and True – Trust It
By Julie B Cosgrove
For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. Psalm 66:10
For a silver refiner to “try” silver, he must remove the impurities called dross from it. That is how it gets its purity. The best way to do this is to insert the silver into intense heat long enough for the metal to soften and the impurities to rise to the surface. Then the refiner scoops off the dross, leaving the shiny silver. When he can see his face clearly in the glow of the liquid metal, he knows it is purified. He has “tried” it and found it to be true.
But the thing about silver is that it tarnishes very quickly. It doesn’t stay shiny and bright for long. Like a magnet, it attracts impurities to its surface. As a child, I would sit at the kitchen table spread with newspapers and help my mother polish the silver for Thanksgiving dinner. Using soft cloths, we’d rub and rub the polish into the crevices where the black gunk lay, then rinse the silver and buff it dry. Then my mother learned a trick. Put in a piece of chalk to absorb the moisture then wrap the silver tightly in Saran wrap to keep out the air. It sort of worked.
Trying and carrying for silver describes the Christian life, doesn’t it? God heats us up just enough to let the impurities in our lives rise to the surface so He can help us deal with them. Past hurts, fears, misunderstandings and hate all are dross. If we are to reflect Him in our lives, if He is to shine through, we need people to see His purity, not our flaws.
Easier said than done, because we all have dross. That is where trust comes in. God knows how hot the purifying fire must be to keep us from melting away or burning up. As He works with us, more and more of the dross will disappear. It’s a careful process performed in the loving hands of the Master. Yet, it doesn’t end there, does it?
Living in the world constantly exposes us to things that can tarnish us. So,we need a good polishing on a regualr basis. We need His grace to rub down into the crevices and get all the black out. When people see that happening, they can see God at work in our lives and be encouraged. Perhaps, like the tip my mother learned, with the Holy Spirit as our chalk, we can be wrapped in a shield of prayer like Saran wrap. That will keep a lot of the tarnishing out, but not all. Still, it will make the polishing a bit easier.
One more thing, silver that is constantly used stays shiny longer. Let God use you and shine forth His love in your life. Trust in Him.
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3 Responses to “Tried and True – Trust It”
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Amen… Through my journey Ive come to understand the reason we go through trials in order to test our true faith and to gain strength as we persevere..So that we can be used for his glory..I ask God to revive me and reteach my mind everyday..I dont want to be comfortable because the enemy is always at hand.
I have been having a lot of doubts about myself, life, which way to go… I’m doubting about everything I know and how I was raced. Religion wasn’t a part of my childhood education but then I met my boyfriend (christian protestant) at 2006 and since then I started to doubt, at the beginning I wasn’t as confused as I am now… but its getting bigger. I can even say I cry every time I think about it. I want to know more about this…. Would you help me??
Lucia, start by getting your hands on a bible. Read the book of John the last of the four gospels and just believe that God loves you and has a plan for your life. The enemy is master of confusion and likes to plant seeds of doubt in our minds, but by reading the word of God you will renew your mind and your doubts will fade away, I will pray for you..
sister, paula