Making Reservations at the Spa

"And I will bring the third part through the fire, 

refine them as silver is refined 

and test them as gold is tested." 

zechariah13:9

"I have tested you in the furnace of suffering." 

isaiah48:10

You know how the story goes.
You've entered a trial and the heat feels unbearable. What is the thing you want most right now?
Sure, you know that God has a purpose in all this, that he is making you into something better, yada yada yada, but what you want most of all is relief.
Hello, how long do I have to be in here? I think I'm ready now; I think I've learned enough.

Phew, it's over, cuttin' it close, aren't we?
Boy, do I need some serious recovery time! Did you make my reservation at the spa? I'm ready to receive my blessings, sure hope they make that trial seem worth it.

Fire destroys.
Fire purifies.
Fire makes hard stiff metals bendable and mold-able.

The Lord says,
"I know that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your forehead bronze." isaiah48:4
I can just see myself banging my bronze forehead against a brick wall; hardheaded and stubborn is what I am.

How does the blacksmith get iron to take on a different shape? First the iron is forced into a really hot fire, and when he thinks the metal is hot enough, he pulls it out. The heat has done nothing to change the shape, it has only prepared the metal for what comes next, the hammer. He pounds it and pounds it until the iron cools, at which point, it must be returned to the fire to start the process all over again.

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;" 1peter4:12

Does the heat catch you by surprise?
It shouldn't.
Does the furnace feel like you are somewhere you aren't supposed to be?
It shouldn't.
Maybe, you aren't surprised by the flame, but I bet you weren't expecting the hammer.
The furnace has gotten you ready for the hammer, precisely when the pounding must take place, before you cool off, and don't be surprised if the Blacksmith has to put you back in the furnace again.

So forget that idea about the spa folks, and when you throw your arms wide to receive those blessings, don't be surprised if they come from a few whacks of the hammer, too.

"When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie
My grace all-sufficient shall be your supply
The flame shall not hurt you, I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine"
from isaiah43:2