Through the Fire

Malachi 3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

A woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were the hottest so as to burn away all of the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that, "Yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver in the fire, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in the silver." This story is taken from www.separatedmen.com

Through the Fire

So many times I've questioned certain circumstances,
And things I could not understand.
And many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision;
That's when my frustration gets so out of hand.
It's then I am reminded: that I've never been forsaken,
I've never had to stand one test alone.
When I look at all my victories,
And the spirit rises up in me,
And it's through the fire my weakness is made strong!

Chorus:
He never promised that the cross would not get heavy,
And the hill would not be hard to climb.
He never offered our victories without fighting,
But He said help would always come in time.
So just remember, when you're standing in the valley of decision
And the adversary says "give in",
Just hold on, My Lord will show up
And He will take you through the fire again!

Bridge:
I know within myself that I would surely perish
But if I trust the mighty hand of God,
He'll shield the flames again, again
Repeat Chorus