The God who works in us is not absent. He is present with us in the fire. One of my teachers shared a dream she had once. In it, God showed her a silversmith’s workshop where the silversmith was purifying the silver. The silversmith was not outside the furnace or standing by the door. He was in the fire with the silver.
Because he was present, he knew when to set the silver aside for a while and when to increase the fire.
This picture reminds me of the way that God works. He works within us, not outside of us. If you read Philippians 2 starting in verse 1, you’ll see all that Jesus went through before He was given the name above all names.
As silver is forged in the fire, so the Son of God was forged through the fires of life. Jesus came to earth and wholeheartedly gave Himself to the work of the Father. He accomplished salvation for you and me and all who will come to believe in Him.
If we call ourselves daughters of God, we, too, must trust the work our Father is doing in us. I know how painful it can be to go through trials and fires. In the moments when we doubt the point of enduring through pain, we can be reassured that God is working in us for His good pleasure. These moments are never wasted.
Through our faithfulness and dependence on Him, we shine the light of Jesus. God’s lights in the world shine so that others may see the light and come to God.
It is not for you to worry about how things will turn out. It is God’s responsibility to be at work. Your part to play is to live daily in obedience to God and His Word and to keep doing that which He has asked you to do.
Beloved, He works in us for His pleasure. He needs willing vessels who will say, “Father, no matter what it takes, I will live for you all the days of my life. I will be who you want me to be. I will give my all to where you have placed me. No more fussing or kicking. I give myself to you.”
Sister, trust Him. He knows what He is doing.
Shalom.
