“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

One of the most interesting experiences we had while living in South Africa was visiting Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.  There were plenty of shops, restaurants, and rides, but my favorite part was the tour of a gold mine (no longer in use),  We would take a mine elevator deep into the ground and the process of producing gold was explained.

The tour gave me some understanding concerning the mining of gold.  I never had understood the complicated process of getting the gold ore from the ground and making it usable.  I learned that they may drill as deep as two miles beneath the surface to extract the ore.  After the gold ore is mined, it has to be processed.  This means a lot crushing and then melting.  A great majority of the ore is discarded because only a small amount of the ore is useable gold.

Our lives are much like a gold mine operation.  God often must drill deep to find the gold in our lives.  We may prefer a superficial Christianity, but God wants to work in the deep recesses of our hearts.  He also must crush us of our pride and self-sufficiency; so that our hard hearts become soft towards Him.  God also melts away those things that hinder our walk with Him.  These may not be sinful in themselves, but God knows that they keep us from being our best for Him.

Job clearly understood this process.  He realized that all of His trials were God’s method of purifying his life and making him more useful for his Lord.  Like Job, we often feel the pain of God drilling deep in our hearts.  We also feel the pain of God crushing our pride towards Him.  God’s melting process of taking things out of our lives is also painful.  However, through it all, we know that God has a great purpose for what He is doing.

The following poem describes what Job experienced as well as the truth of Romans 8:28: ” And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

When God Wants To Drill A Man

When God wants to drill a man,
And thrill a man,
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;

When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!

How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him

Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!

 

 

How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses,
And which every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out-
God knows what He’s about.

– Anonymous