Enduring The Fire

“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 
 
 
When it comes to testing our faith, God knows what we need and when we need it. God tells the prophet, Zechariah, “I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.”  
 
If you know the process of judging the value of metal, you know that the value is not determined by the beauty it displays, but by the fire it endures. This is the thought that came to mind as I read about Abraham in Genesis 22.  
 
He woke up one morning after walking with God for 45 years, only to have the Lord ask him to sacrifice or give up the very thing God promised to give him.  
 
The entire journey with God for Abraham has been nothing but a series of tests. His first test was to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees and journey in an unclear direction towards an undetermined destination. Then, there was the test of having to provide for and protect the interests of his wife and nephew in hostile territory. 
 
There was also the test of letting go of his son Ishmael and his mother Hagar in order to appease his wife. And through it all, there were the enduring tests of having to wait on God to do what He said He would do.  
 
Now, you might be wondering, “When does it end?” Maybe that is the question you are asking in your own life. “God, you have put me through so much, when is it going to end? How many more tests do I have to go through?” Remember my friend, the value of the gold is found in the fire it endures. You CAN and you WILL endure it! What is amazing is who you will become on the other side of all the tests.