Faith Knows!

He knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will
come forth as gold.
Job 23:10

I will come forth as gold! Wow! Sounds great! Precious metal is – well – precious. But what makes it precious? After all, it comes out of the ground like every other metal. Actually, it is mixed with other metals and must be smelted and refined before the beautiful precious gold is usable for money, jewelry, electronic applications...

The smelting process utilizes pressure, high heat and chemicals to remove the impurities from gold ore. First the ore is crushed and then placed in a furnace where the temperatures reach in excess of 1950 degrees Fahrenheit. This elevates the gold above its melting point. After smelting, the refining process is completed as the gold is heated again and any remaining impurities removed.

Job understood that God controls life. His faith in God is made clear in this verse, “He knows the way that I take…I will come forth as gold.” But we should never overlook the middle of the sentence, “when he has tested me….”

Faith is not a natural process but rather supernatural. If you do not believe me, speak with an atheist who has no faith. It seems impossible for him to understand our faith in a God who, in his mind, does not exist. Faith grows! How? When we are tested! Job understood the refining process. The Hebrew word used for tested in this verse means to test, try, probe, examine…to learn the genuineness of an object. The testing of our faith is the refining process that purifies our faith.

Faith costs us! Faith teaches us! Faith gives to us! It costs us reason by asking us to put aside the logical, the reasonable or the world’s way of believing. It teaches us that our God is able to do great and mighty things on our behalf. It gives us hope, not only for the future, but for everyday living. The testing of our faith is the removal of all the impurities this world throws our way—doubt, unbelief, fear…

Therefore, when your faith is being tested and you are being crushed under the burdens of life, when you are in a situation where the fire is hot and you think you may not survive or when family and friends asked you to give up or give in, remember that faith knows what others cannot see.

When your faith is being tested, do not forget Job’s words. God knows! Do not let your testing be in vain. Let your faith be purified as you come forth as gold. Faith knows!

©Joyce Powell