Bible Passage: “But (God) knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 NIV)
Scripture Reading: James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7
It is an oft-used teaching illustration, but it is still a good one.
Gold in its natural state is not pure. Not at all, actually. Pulled from the ground, gold is full of impurities that would make for pretty ugly jewelry and décor.
But if you heat gold to a very high temperature, melting it, it causes all the impurities to rise to the surface, where they can be scooped out.
What’s left is pure gold—but the impurities need to be removed first.
This is the picture that Job draws from in today’s passage.
Somehow, even though Job doesn’t understand the “why” of his suffering, he knows that trials are a testing time, and that the heat of affliction is doing a work.
James would touch on this later in Scripture:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)
Good men suffer, sometimes through no fault of their own. And suffering isn’t good and doesn’t feel good.
But suffering can produce good things in our lives.
Ask a man where he grew the most, and often stories of struggle will rise to the surface. Times of martial difficulty, loss, job challenges, physical pain/illness, etc. These times often strengthen our perseverance, patience, compassion, and other qualities. They make our marriages better, our character more refined, our convictions more resolute.
That doesn’t mean we have to like it or that we should minimize our pain. We don’t have to rejoice in the actual suffering; we can rejoice in the good that can come out of it.
But that isn’t always felt in the moment, but realized later. The man who lost his wife certainly doesn’t need to hear, “But think of all the good your grief is doing!”
Suffering tests our faith and character. But it also displays their strength. Faith that is never challenged can never be considered real. Character that isn’t tested can never be authentic.
In the pits of despair, Job intuitively seems to know that testing is underway and that he will ultimately come through better on the other side (1 Peter 1:6-7).
What is true for Job is also true for us. God is in Heaven, and He will bring us through.
Prayer: Lord, I hate suffering! I can maybe rejoice in the outcomes, but that is hard to feel in the moment. Give me the grace to keep a higher perspective in mind, and don’t let any of my pain be wasted; use every bit of it to make me as pure gold. Amen.
Reflection: Think of a past difficult season you walked through (not present). What “gold” can you see God brought forth through that season?
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