Proverbs 17.3
“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”
Today we examine the third principle for how to respond when you are in the crucible of adversity:
- Don’t be surprised. Be prepared.
- Don’t be fear-driven. Be faith-driven.
- Don’t be resentful. Be thankful.
- Don’t be self-centered. Be Christ-centered.
James 1:2-4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Responding to difficulty and adversity with “joy” is not natural. It is not what normal people do. When most people experience hardship, they are resentful. And their resentment is often directed toward God. This is the “Why me?” reaction, usually followed by “how could God allow this to happen?”
Committed Christians think differently. They see adversity differently. They respond differently. When a faithful follower of Jesus experiences adversity, they aren’t resentful, they are thankful. This is because committed Christians understand the nature of life in a broken world. They are aware of the nature of the mission. They know that the Lord has saved them from the fallen world and then sent them back into the fallen world as his ambassadors.
Those who are truly and deeply committed to Christ understand that navigating adversity is part of the mission they are called to fulfill. Adversity and challenging situations are simply part of the assignment. Christians — at least genuinely committed Christians — have a mindset similar to Navy SEALs. They train and prepare for success in response to very difficult circumstances.
When you are in the crucible … when you are in the furnace … when life presses on you and squeezes you, it reveals you. It reveals what you are made of. This is the “testing of your faith” that James 1 and Proverbs 17 refer to. When you squeeze an orange what comes out is orange juice …because that is what is inside. That is what it is made of. Same with an apple or any fruit. And so it is with us. When the difficulties of life squeeze us, what comes out is what is inside. Adversity reveals what we are made of.
Every Christian is given an occasional “adversity test” that reveals the current status of their faith. When that happens to you, don’t be resentful … be thankful. Circumstances don’t make or break you. They simply reveal you.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
