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Faith in the Furnace: How God Shapes Us Through Pain
By Doreen Virtue
“Dear Friends, don’t be surprised when the firey ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you. Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may also rejoice with great joy when His glory is revealed.”
—1 Peter 4:12–13
The Apostle Peter through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration reminds us to not be caught off guard when trials occur. Hardships are the usual, not the unusual, for believers.
This passage describes a “firey ordeal,” which brings to mind how precious metals are refined in fire. The heat brings the impurities to the surface, so that the metal can be refined and purified. In the same way, firey trials—though admittedly painful and unpleasant—are part of our sanctification process of refinement. God uses our suffering to purify our faith, so that we’re looking to Him for help, and not to our own selves.
Anyone who says that God is guaranteed to heal a person’s illness or bring them prosperity is speaking falsely and unbiblically. The only guarantee is that Christians will face adversity, and that God will be there with them through the trial. Unfortunately, those who listen to the false prosperity gospel will be surprised when they experience firey ordeals.
It’s not whether we’ll experience trials, but how we deal with them that matters. If we turn to God with praise and trust, our ordeal won’t upset us to the degree that it would if we held a false belief about what Christian life looks like.
This passage reminds us that trials come to test us. In the King James Bible, the word try is used, in the same meaning as test. The Biblical Koine Greek word for try or test (peirasmō) usually means a process which reveals the quality of something. It can also mean a trial that reveals a person’s character and values. So, the trial of suffering can demonstrate the authenticity and strength of the believer’s faith. This means that suffering acts as a divine instrument of refinement.
The Bible frequently describes precious metals being refined in fire to illustrate that people are refined by firey ordeals, such as these verses:
“He will sit as a refiner and 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
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
—1 Peter 1:6–7
If our faith isn’t genuine, we’ll walk away from the Gospel and decide that suffering for Christ isn’t worth it. In cases like that, the faith was probably never genuine in the first place.
Doesn’t that remind you of Christ’s followers who fell away when He made some hard statements? These followers just wanted to be fed physical food, not spiritual food. The moment when discipleship got tough, they disappeared.
“Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him.
—John 6:64
“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
—Isaiah 48:10
“The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.”
—Proverbs 17:3
Suffering in the Christian life isn’t random or meaningless, dear sister. God is sovereign and every aspect of life is under His direction. Trials are God’s purposeful tool that He uses to refine believers, test our commitment and faith, and to steer us to trust Him.
Reflection Questions
- Can you think of any impurities (such as distrust or willfulness, etc.) that God may have brought to the surface for refining, as a result of trials you’ve endured?
- Please find and watch a video that shows the process of precious metals being refined and purified in fire. How does this video relate to the process you’ve gone through during seasons of struggles?
- Read John 6:60–66. When you think about Jesus’ followers who walked away from Him, what comes to your mind about their priorities?
- Have you ever been falsely told that becoming a Christian means that you’ll have a problem-free life, or that you attracted problems with your thoughts? What do you think about these sort of teachings now?
📘 From the Book: Praise God in the Storm
This article is adapted from Doreen Virtue’s powerful book, Praise God in the Storm. In it, Doreen shares biblical wisdom for finding hope, peace, and strength in seasons of suffering—reminding readers that God’s refining fire is never wasted.
For more from Doreen, please check out the rest of her articles here.
