‘In the furnace’
My faith feels tarnished, stained,
edges worn, rust ingrained
No walking on water for me ~
I’m sinking in seas of adversity
Years of being at the end
of a fragile, fraying rope
leave us dangling, uncertain,
with bruised hearts, dashed hope
What began shiny, new
penny-bright, has faded
into fog, misted out of view,
jaded, gone from sense and sight
Yet, be it weak, small as
mustard seed to be sown
our faith does not depend
on ourselves or strength alone
Nor is it stretched by being
untested over time and years
or lost, unseen, when eyes
blur and swim with tears
Time spent in The Refiner’s fire
is to purify, burn off dross
from flawed motives and desires
we have counted as loss
We enter defiled, soiled as dust,
fragile, worn out and feeling old
We emerge, unmarred, unscarred by rust
renewed, restored ~ come forth as gold
©JoyLenton2014
“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, these have come so that your faith ~ of greater worth than gold , which perishes even though refined by fire ~ may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed” ~ 1Peter1:6 -7
Dear Lord,
Even as we squirm and resist the fiery furnace of affliction, help us to remain until your work is complete in us.
As sickness, pain and problems weigh heavy, enable us to withstand the heat they bring and to see your hand in everything.
May we learn patience, endurance and trust as our faith gets stretched beyond our ability to cope.
For when we’re left dangling at the end of our rope, we are never as alone as we may feel.
Your arms are always ready to reach out, lift and support, carry and hold us, provide rest and respite, strength to go on.
May we be reassured by your continual loving presence and willing to say ~ have your way in me.
Amen
Joining here with Nacole, Holley and Jennifer
Poetry Joy 
Yes, refine me Lord.
Hi Debbie. That’s a challenging yet needful prayer for us to pray, isn’t it? May God grant you the courage to face the refining process and emerge stronger for it. God bless you, friend.
…Just when you think you cannot take the fire anymore; Jehovah reaches down and pulls us out to praise His name and shine forth as gold! Thank you ~ Thank you Joy! This poem touched my weary soul and my heart rejoices. I have not been able to reach out to friends words of encouragement of late, but this morning this poem found its way to my soul. Thank you Lord for your leading and love, Thank you for friends of faith that write to encourage. God bless you Joy. 🙂 xx
Yes, He does! His arms are always ready to save us. And how thankful we are not to have to stay there any longer than necessary. It’s lovely to hear from you, Kathy! You’ve been sorely missed, out of sight but not out of thought. I remember you each day as I read your lovely devotional book. May God continue to bear your burdens, encourage your soul and ease the weariness within as only He can. Blessings and love to you, my friend. Xx 🙂
Thank you my friend, words of comfort for a weary soul. May God grant you grace and the desires of your heart. Love and appreciate you. 🙂 xx
Enjoyed your inspirationally metered verse, resonating with the heart of our struggle as it is being soothed by the heart of God’s love.
Thank you! I’m glad it spoke to you. I love your thought about the “heart of our struggle” in the fiery furnace being “soothed by the heart of God’s love.” God bless you.