“Interior of a Small Smithy with Two Blacksmiths” by Pehr Hilleström (1790), Nationalmuseum, Sweden, Image Source https://auctionet.com/ (Public Domain by reason of age)
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined” (Ps. 66: 10).
There is little doubt that abuse in any form can leave us feeling weak and vulnerable. We were betrayed, manipulated, violated, perhaps brutalized, often by someone who should have cared for us, sometimes for years on end.
That is not, however, the end of our story.
We may feel fragile. We may bear scars. But we have come through the fire. That is no small feat.
Steel is forged in fire. Since ancient times, the metal has been heated until it is red hot, hammered and shaped, then cooled rapidly (“quenched”) to improve durability and flexibility. The metal must withstand repeated heating and cooling cycles to achieve the desired strength and resilience.
Gold is even today refined in fire, at temperatures one might think would destroy it. Instead, the process removes impurities.
No one would wish to go through such a process. The steel does not enjoy it. The gold does not enjoy it. We may never fully understand why God allowed us to go through it.
But He went through it with us.
This series will conclude next week.
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