Psalm 66:10 For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

So, I had to put this title in all Caps. Not because I’m yelling at you, it’s just that the song that this lyric comes from is one of those scream-o bands. I don’t suggest that the majority of you listen to the song, or even the group, but if you just can‘t help it, the name of the band is Mortal Treason. The name of the song is Khampa Nomads. Check out these lyrics…

My sin

My shame

Takes it’s toll on my heart

Oh how I long to be pure

Purify me Lord

Take my pain away

Purify me

Last Sunday, our preacher talked about Achan in Joshua chapter 7. He talked about how he sinned by taking what was not to be taken and hiding it in his tent. He applied it to us by telling us that we have sin in our church, and that we could deal with it…or God was going to.

Now, the crazy thing is, I heard this coming off of one of the best, most God-filled weeks of my life. So, to be honest, I kind of sat there all smug and was really glad that the preacher wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to those “sinners” and they needed to get right and take care of their junk because they were keeping God from blessing our church. I’m sure you see where this is heading.

Well, the next day, I decided to test myself. I went to Psalm 139:23. I asked the Lord to search my heart and let me know if there was anything in there that was hidden and needed to be brought to the light. It didn’t take long at all for Him to reveal one to me. The next morning, I prayed about helping me deal with that one, but I asked Him to reveal to me anything else in my heart that didn’t need to be there. Well, He revealed something else. The same thing happened on Wednesday, and quite honestly, I began to doubt my salvation. I was full of pride, jealousy, envy….I just stopped asking Him to reveal stuff to me so I could deal with the issues that He had just revealed.

However, this got me to thinking. 10 years ago, if God had brought these things to my mind…I would have told you, and probably Him, that they weren’t that big of a deal…everybody does this kind of stuff. But, as my heart grows more and more in love with Him, they seem as huge walls keeping me from His best. I want these things that separate me from Him gone. Psalm 66:10 gives a great picture of what is happening to me, and what is hopefully happening to everybody that loves God.

You may look at silver and it may appear shiny and pure. But, if you heat it up and melt it, the impurities in the silver will burn away. When you let it cool back to normal, what you have is silver that is pure and untainted. I read a story that said that when a refiner could see his own image in the silver…the silver was pure. Pretty interesting considering we were made in God’s image.

I have been a piece of God’s silver for 20 years now. As I get more and more pure, I simply want more and more of Him. I want to be as valuable to Him as I possibly can. Whatever the trial He sends my way…I realize now that it is to purify me. I think I know why the guy screams it in the song…because being purified is something you have to want. You have to forsake the flow of this wicked world and go after Him with everything you’ve got. It is something that you have to grit your teeth and say “Lord, thy will be done…whatever it is.“ We tend to exaggerate our value and rationalize our impurities. We have to be willing to let God put us over that refiner’s fire and KNOW that when we come out on the other side, we will be even more pure, and even more valuable to Him and to everybody that we come into contact with.

Lord, purify me…even though the fire hurts…I am willing.

Later

Adam