The Purpose of Trials
One of my favorite memories as a child is roasting marshmallows over a campfire in my Uncle Jimmy’s backyard in Idabel, Oklahoma. How well I remember standing close to the glowing flames, impaling two white marshmallows on a straightened coat hanger and igniting them just long enough to char a thin black crust outside and melt the gooey inside. Years ago, fire represented wonderful times of fun, food, and fellowship!
Years later, I learned that fire has a biblical application – not as the fun-filled fires of my youth, but as something infinitely more important. In both the Old and New Testaments, we find numerous references to God refining His children through fiery trials in much the same way an earthly refiner uses fire to purify gold and silver. The Lord says,
“I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
(Isaiah 48:10)
- June Hunt
