Fires of Refinement
Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.
For you, O God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.Psalm 66:8-10, 16
Now at the end of my seventh (yes, seventh!) summer at The Boston Project, I identify with David when he wrote Psalm 66. He praises God for preserving his life, refining him, and answering his prayers. One thing I appreciate is that David doesn’t ignore the hard times, but he praises God because of them – “you (God) refined us like silver.” This refinement shows God’s work in our lives. In the end, David invites people to “Come and listen...let me tell you what [God] has done for me.”
The day before our summer programs began this May, I remember sitting down with our staff team and honestly sharing the struggles of my heart. Even though I knew God would work, part of me did not want to enter into another Boston Project summer at all. I don’t know why I felt this way – the long days (and nights), decreased family time, or other reasons I couldn’t put into words. They prayed for me there, and I know they continued praying through the summer.
I will say that in some ways this was a difficult summer, yet also one of the most fulfilling. There were times I prayed that God would just preserve my life. And He did. There were times when I felt the fires of refinement. And God brought me through them, burned but shining. Finally, I want to say to all who will listen, “let me tell you what He has done for me.”
