What Does it Mean to Be Tried and Tested by Fire?

I’ve never been affected by a wildfire like the ones ablaze in Southern California. But in other ways I’ve been “tested by fire” and been through trials that made me feel as if my mind, heart, and soul were scorched to the core. Thankfully, during that time, I could search throughout the Bible to learn how and why people were tested–and how God’s plan was perfect, though painful. I pray that those who are impacted by the California wildfires will find the same, as they look to God for help and hope that only He can provide.

Why Does the Bible Talk about Being Tested by Fire?

Why do we use the term “being tested by fire” to generally speak of God allowing trials in our lives? While there are several verses about refining by fire, we can look specifically at an Old Testament and a New Testament verse. Zechariah 13:9 reads (in relation to God testing the Israelites): “I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’” In Peter’s first letter to believers, he wrote: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” The idea is that gold and silver have to be placed in the hottest part of a fire in order to burn off the impurities.

The good news is that as our refiner, God has to watch the purification process very closely like a silversmith would; left too long in the fire, the silver will be destroyed. While we live in a fallen, sinful world that leads to much suffering, nothing happens that isn’t approved by God and that He doesn’t have 100 percent control over. Nothing is random, even if it looks that way to us. He is sovereign over absolutely everything in the universe. I remember years ago hearing theologian R.C. Sproul say, “If there is one maverick molecule in the universe, then God is not sovereign.” He who knows the numbers of the stars as well as the number of hairs on our heads is watching and waiting. Thanks be to God that He is for us, not against us.

What Makes Fire Such a Powerful Symbol in the Bible?

Fire is never tame. We may be able to harness it for a special purpose, but it can still burn us. When it’s out of control, like in the California wildfires, it can be immensely destructive. Many times in the Bible, God uses fire to demonstrate His power, whether He is using it to represent Himself, or as a metaphor for how he refines His people. 

We read in Genesis that in creating a covenant with Abram, God asked him to bring several animals to Him and cut them in two. Later, a blazing torch passed between the two pieces, representing God’s promise and His presence, which would keep the covenant intact. Still later, God would send fire raining down on the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When God called Moses to meet Him on Mt. Sinai, God spoke to him out of a bush that, though on fire, did not burn up. And when He led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness, God was their pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (His presence would lead them). Only God could create these miracles, wielding fire for His special purpose.

But God also used fire as a metaphor for trials, testing and suffering that He would allow people to go through to make them more like Christ. In Isaiah 48:10 we read, “I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” One of the minor prophets, Malachi, also wrote, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify … and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:3).

While we may be “precious metals” to our heavenly Father, he will use “fire” to refine our character, draw us closer to Him, and join us with the sufferings of Christ in spiritual union. Fire in a broader sense can be any kind of suffering that humans endure. He may allow it, but that doesn’t mean that God delights in suffering, but He uses it to bring out greater things in us. 

Who in the Bible Faced a Trial by Fire?

Two Bible stories stand out when it comes to facing trial by fire, one literally and one figuratively. When the people of Judah were captured by the Babylonians, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that young Jewish men of promise be trained for the king’s service. One day Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone in his kingdom to bow down to a 90-foot tall statue or be thrown into a blazing furnace. 

Three of the men of Judah–Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego–refused to bow down and were thrown into the furnace. They trusted that God would do the right thing in either saving them or taking them home. Not only did they not burn up, but a “fourth man” was visible in the fire, and when the three emerged, their clothes didn’t even smell of smoke. While these men were the ones “purified” in the fire, God also used this miracle to show Nebuchadnezzar that He was more powerful than any king on earth.

Job was the poster child for suffering in the Old Testament. He lost everything he owned, his children, and his health. He ended up being humbled by God, but then blessed immensely for not renouncing his faith in God (and because God was proving that He was more powerful than Satan). When I was going through my trial, I held on to Job 23:10 in which Job said, “He [God] knows the way that I take, and when He has tried me I will come forth as gold.” I was in awe that someone could have such security in God’s sovereignty and love despite significant crises and pain. But then I realized that God knew that Job was going to get through his pain because God was going to be the One to get him through it. And it’s the same with all of God’s children. God’s hand is on the thermostat and He will either carry us through the fire or take us home to paradise. Either way, we win through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

How Being Tried by Fire Can Strengthen Us Spiritually

It’s been said by many, including by me, that you never know that God is all you need until God is all that you have. When nothing and no one can change your situation (including yourself), you realize that you want to know nothing more than that God is with you, for you, and that nothing is impossible for Him. The only way to know this and more about God’s character is to spend much time in God’s word.

Though it may sound like tough love, Jesus’ brother James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). While none of us wants to lack anything that we can be in Christ, it’s so hard to hear that we should “consider it pure joy” when we are suffering. But James wasn’t saying that the trial would be joyful, but that the testing of our faith would produce perseverance that could get us through. We could be refined by the fiery trial and God could do amazing things through it for our good and His glory.

I am always blessed to read of believers who grew stronger in the faith through adversity. People like Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic for 50 plus years who gave her life to God and has been used to advocate for the disabled despite immense pain. Or Corrie Ten Boom who grew in her faith in God after watching her Jesus-loving sister die in a concentration camp during World War II. Corrie subsequently went on to learn how to forgive like Jesus and taught others about reconciliation. Or Elisabeth Elliott whose missionary husband was killed, but because of her faith in God, she returned to the mission field to teach her husband’s assassins about Jesus.

And there are so many examples in the Bible of people who grew in their faith in God through difficult times. From Abraham to Joseph to David to Moses and more, God used trials to refine his chosen people (though many would have to be refined after becoming tarnished again). One of my favorite stories is about Gideon who was fearful and doubting God when God called him to lead the Israelites into battle. Despite his worry and unbelief, God went with His people to destroy the enemy against overwhelming odds.

What Should We Do When the Heat Turns Up in Our Lives?

In his article, “Are the Los Angeles Wildfires a Sign of God’s Judgment?” Mike Leake states, “God does use natural disasters as signs of judgment. But it should be noted that in each instance, there are clear warnings and calls to repentance. They are always accompanied by divine revelation and there is no doubt as to their intent. Burning up a place and saying, 'I hope that got your attention,' isn’t the modus operandi of the God of the Universe.”

God hates that we suffer, but He knows how to use it to change us for the better. And He doesn’t leave us on our own to deal with it. He is always working through it, and Jesus is always interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). And He doesn’t do so randomly; He works through our trials to prepare the bride of Christ for her Savior’s return.

Our two greatest tools when facing trials with faith are Scripture and prayer. Reading God’s word reminds us of His character and His promises. When we pray God’s word back to Him, it’s amazing how it changes our perspective on our trials. We recognize that He is sovereign, always good, and always completes what He has started.

Staying connected with other Christians who are lifting us up in prayer regularly is also essential when facing trials. Unlike Job’s friends, they should be people who understand that trying to blame our trial on a particular sin is fruitless and hurtful. If the Holy Spirit wants to bring that to our attention, He will do so gently and with the objective of forgiveness, not shame and guilt.

How Can Scripture Encourage Us During Fiery Trials?

Proverbs 7:23 tells us that whatever we think in our hearts, we become. Finding comforting Scripture, writing it down (every day if necessary) and reading it out loud can have a powerful effect on our perspective and perseverance through our trials.

There are so many Scriptures that remind us God is with us and makes unbreakable promises to give us hope. For example:

• Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
• Isaiah 43:2: “When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
• Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Years ago I read a book about a man that was going through cancer treatment and he wasn’t sure if God was going to heal him. He was having a conversation with a close friend about his trial, and with every concern he mentioned to his friend, that person would repeat, “Yes, but there is God.” In our trials we must do our best to remember that God is more powerful than what we are experiencing, in fact He can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” (Ephesians 3:20). We can let go and trust Him always.

Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Andy Watkins

Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).