The Refiner's Fire

“Examine (scrutinize, prove, try as gold) me, O LORD, and prove (test) me; try (smelt, refine) my mind (kidneys—as seat of emotions and affections) and my heart (the middle or center of anything; soul; mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, resolution, determination of; conscience; as seat of appetites, emotions and passions; as seat of courage).” (Psalm 26:2)

“Search (examine, investigate) me, O God, and know (know in an intimate sense, as with a husband and wife) my heart (the middle or center of anything; soul; mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, resolution, determination of; conscience; as seat of appetites, emotions and passions; as seat of courage); try (to examine, try (of gold), prove) me, and know my anxieties (disquieting thoughts); and see if there is any wicked way (pain, sorrow; idol) in me, and lead me in the way (way, road, distance, journey, manner; of course of life; of moral character) everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)

This was King David’s heart-cry. These prayers reveal a heart that was willing to submit to whatever scrutiny necessary to cleanse his heart from any encumbrance or obstacle that would prevent him from receiving and walking in fullness of what God had for him, but most importantly, anything that would hinder intimacy with God.

Acts 13:22, Paul preaching in a synagogue in Antioch proclaims: “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.'”

David invited God to scrutinize the inner recesses of his heart, to test and refine him. That is the heart inclination of a man after God’s own heart.

As a very new Christian, some 25 years ago, I made a decision that I desired a heart like David’s; I desired to be a woman after God’s own heart. So, I began to pray the prayers David prayed, in particular, the Psalm 26:2  and Psalm 139:23-12 prayers.  

Do I share this to impress? Nope. I began to pray this prayer with very little understanding of the meaning and impact this prayer would have on and in my life. I knew in my mind that I was virtually inviting the Lord to smelt my heart, but I had no clue as to what that process entailed…or what that process would reveal.

As the trails and tribulations of life came and as the impurities of my heart surfaced (both of which continue to this day!), I began to lament to the Lord~~why was life so tough? Why was this ugliness surfacing in my heart?

On a particularly difficult and traumatic season in my life, I cried out to God, asking why on earth things had to be so tough. I heard the Lord’s small still voice speak to my heart, “I am answering your prayer.” Aghast, I said out loud, “What prayer?” Thinking I didn’t remember asking for an inordinate amount of trauma and trials.

The answer: “Your Psalm 26 and 139 prayers.”

Oh my. So this was what smelting looked like and felt like. In order to bring more comforting clarification, I began researching ancient smelting.

As I researched the process of ancient smelting, I discovered the process involved heating ore to the point of melting in order to extract the precious metals.

Once the ore was melted, the smelter would then skim off the dross. from the ore, leaving behind a pure metal, such as silver or gold. The dross is the scum or extraneous matter or metals, thrown off in the process of melting. The dross is the impurity which corrupts the precious metal. Once removed, the precious metal is all that remains.

The only way to extract the precious metal from the ore was to heat it to a melting point, skim the dross, and viola~~pure silver or gold.

Dross. So that’s what was coming up and out of my heart. Dross. So that’s what now comes up and out of my heart as the Lord smelts my heart. It’s an ongoing process. At first I was appalled at the amount of dross that was coming up and out of my heart. And to this day, I still am amazed at what comes up and out of my heart. But as I stop and think about it, that thought in and of itself is dross! It’s pride. As an imperfect, fallible human being, as long as we live on this earth we will be faced with dross in our hearts. We need the One Who alone has a dross-free heart to purify our hearts.

In Malachi 3:2, the Lord is compared to a “refiner’s fire.” He is the Master Refiner; the One Who smelts our hearts for His glory.

“He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:3

“That we may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness!” The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), therefore, it is quite simple to lollygag through life with a dross-laden heart and not even know it. It is not until we allow the Master Refiner to smelt our hearts, that we find out what is really in our hearts.

The fascinating thing about the smelting process is that not only is the dross or scum revealed, but what is also revealed is the precious deposits of gold and silver hidden in the ore; thus is the case with our hearts~smelting reveals the nuggets of “silver” and “gold” that the Lord has imbedded into our hearts…the character Has built into us, the fruits of the Spirit just waiting to burst forth with ripeness…His Word hidden in our hearts…all nuggets of precious “metals” divinely forged in the ore of our hearts.

The smelting process is designed by a Master Refiner Who is the “Eternal God our Refuge and underneath are His everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27). His purification process stems from a Father’s heart that desires intimacy with us—the only way to intimacy with Him is to allow Him to clear away the dross that we may have an unencumbered relationship with Him.

Living on this earth, most of us know that each and every day is filled with its challenges and obstacles. Each day has its refining moments. And, most of us know that there are times in our lives, in particular, when those challenges and obstacles seem insurmountable and overwhelming. I have heard these times referred to refer to as “The Dark Night of the Soul.” It is a time when the heat is turned up so hot, the melting so complete, that all we  see are the swirls of dross, all we feel is the pain of the heat, all we smell is the stench of the scum bubbling to the surface of our hearts.

If we desire intimacy with the Lord, not one of us can escape the smelting process.

Moses asked God to show him His glory (Ex. 33:18), in other words, Moses was asking God to place him in the center of the Smelter’s pot! Moses led the people of Israel out of bondage, but not before he surrendered his cushy place in Pharaoh’s palace, killed an Egyptian and fled, and placed his neck on the line to stand before Pharaoh and demand his people’s freedom.

Joseph was destined to be second in command over Egypt, but before that ever came to pass, “the word of the Lord tested him” (Ps. 105:19)~~he was thrown into a pit by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned.

David, shepherd turned war hero, was destined to be king, but not before he was rejected by the current king, hunted like a dog, taking refuge in the mountains, the wilderness, the woods, and in a cave (1 Samuel).

“The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning,” (Job 42:12), but not before Job spent what must have felt like an eternity in the Smelter’s pot bearing the loss of his children, possessions, his health…and a few judgmental friends.

The apostle Peter rose to leadership among the apostles after Jesus’ ascension, healing the sick, raising the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, but not before he was sifted like wheat at the hands of Satan (Luke 22:31).

Jesus Himself is seated at the right hand of the throne of God, Jesus the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world, Messiah…but not before he was mocked, beaten mercilessly, and crucified. Jesus knows better than anyone what it is to be in the very center of the Smelter’s pot. He maintained a dross-free heart, but His life provided THE example as to how to wade through the smelting pot. Scripture tells us:


"For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Heb. 2:18


"...though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." Heb. 5:8

I write this to encourage those of you walking through the smelting process at this time. It is a sign that you have a heart after God, a heart that desires intimacy with Him. Know that the Master Smelter is turning up the heat because He loves you. He wants deeper intimacy with you and the only way to that deeper intimacy is to allow Him to turn up the heat, skim the dross, all the while, holding you in His everlasting arms.

The results: a pure heart before Him, deeper intimacy with Him, and a life that will more vibrantly reflect His glory.