Refined and Purified

by Billy Graham from Hope For Each Day

When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. – Job 23:10

Affliction can be a means of refining and of purification.

Just as ore must pass through the refiner’s furnace before it can yield up its gold, so our lives must sometimes pass through God’s furnace of affliction before they can bring forth something beautiful and useful to Him.

We might never have had the songs of Fanny Crosby had she not been afflicted with blindness.

George Matheson would never have given the world his immortal song, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go,” had it not been for the pain of personal tragedy and heartache.

The “Hallelujah Chorus” was written by Handel when he was poverty-stricken and suffering from a paralyzed right side and right arm.

Affliction can also make us stronger in our faith and develop our confidence in God’s watch care over us.
It may also drive us back to the right path when we have wandered.

David said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word” (Psalm 119:67).

Whatever the reason, if God sends affliction your way, take it in faith as a blessing, not a curse.

We often experience heartache and loss in this world. God uses those situations to shape our hearts and fashion our character to be more like His own. Have you ever received a blessing after facing a tragedy?