How to make gold

Job 23:10

But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

In the book of Job, we read the travails of a man who experienced the ultimate test of his character. Because of his faith and commitment, God had blessed him with physical, spiritual, and material success and it had not caused him to abandon his humble trust in acknowledging God’s hand on his life.

But the Lord allowed Satan to test him to the limit of suffering. In one short period of time, his children where killed by a freak weather storm, fire came down from the sky and burned up his livestock, his property was stolen by roving bands of terrorists, and his body was wracked with disease that kept him in constant pain.

Even his friends turned against him and critically accused him saying this all happened because he did something wrong.

Yes, Job expressed doubts. Yes, he struggled to understand why. However, he would not turn against God but uttered the now famous saying, “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In today’s verse, he explains that while he doesn’t understand, he knows that this life is all about producing something in him that is everlasting and pleasing to God.

Like Job, the decisions I make are not a surprise to an all-knowing God, even the ones that are not so good. God is patient with my wandering from the path He wants me on, and shows mercy to me, because He is working on a larger plan for my life that is being engineered by Him.

Does He test me? Try me? See if I am growing stronger in my faith?

Yes.

And I can be confident that as a result of these trials, I will gain something I could not obtain otherwise.

I will gain character, experience, and wisdom, if I learn from it.

I will be refined like gold and come out of it more valuable and more shiny. More valuable because I am mature and will handle life more like the person He wants me to be. More shiny because I will be like a polished bar of gold and can reflect more of Him when others look at me.

Job’s attitude was to hold fast to the truth and trust God no matter what happens.

I want to be like Job.