Psalm 12

As Christians we have all heard many of God's promises. They have been repeated to us in sermon, skit, script, and song. They are plastered on our greeting cards and murals on the wall. But their true worth is seldom realized until we grasp them while we are in a trial. The furnace of pain reveals the truth of God's promises. The greater to trouble the brighter is the shine of God's promises. The purity of divine hope is found when the smelter burns away all of the dross of our traditions and limited understanding. Sin contaminates our understanding of God's life giving words in the same way that junk devalues the worth of a precious metal. We may not want trials but the faithful discover the fruit of God's grace in the midst of physical loss.
Stuart