Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
The first verse of Zechariah 13 spoke of a cleansing fountain that would remove impurity from the house of David. The last verse shows us another method of purification – not by water but by fire.
When precious metals are purified, or ‘refined’, by fire, they are heated until the impurities within them either escape as gases or rise to the surface as residues that can be skimmed off. Zechariah is not the only Old Testament prophet to use this image of refinement: Isaiah 48, Jeremiah 9, Daniel 12 and Malachi 3 all refer to it.
If we think of ourselves going through this process, it is admittedly not a pleasant prospect. These prophets place it in the context of God’s judgement, but the book of Job tells us that suffering may come to us through no fault of our own. In the New Testament, too, Peter talks about persecution as a ‘fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you’ (1 Peter 4.12).
When we are going through trouble or pain for whatever reason, it is often hard to see the good that might come out of it. Sometimes we can’t feel the presence of God in our suffering, and can’t see what the purpose of it might be. But the biblical writers across both Testaments agree with Zechariah that when God is at work in us, even through the hardest of times, he can be trusted to lead us out and make our relationship with him closer than ever before.
We can take encouragement from Job’s faith in the midst of his pain:
If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him;
on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him.
But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I shall come out like gold.
Job 23.8–10
Father God, help us to put our full trust in you, even when we are going through ‘fiery ordeals’. Thank you that your purpose is always to purify us and bring us closer to you.
This reflection was written by Lisa Cherrett, Editorial Project Manager in the Publishing team
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