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Help in Daily Living
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obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities. They pray for Christ-
likeness of character, for a fitness for the Lord’s work, and then are
placed in circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their
nature. Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the
existence. Like Israel of old they question, “If God is leading us,
why do all these things come upon us?”
These things come upon them because God is leading them.
Trials and obstacles are the Lord’s chosen methods of discipline
and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads human
hearts knows the character better than people know themselves.
He sees that some have powers and susceptibilities that, rightly
directed, might be used in the advancement of His work. In His
providence He brings these persons into different positions and
varied circumstances that they may discover in their character the
defects that have been concealed from their own knowledge. He
gives them opportunity to correct these defects and to fit themselves
for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them
that they may be purified.
The fact that we are called upon to endure trial shows that the
Lord Jesus sees in us something precious that He desires to develop.
If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He
would not spend time refining us. He does not cast worthless stones
into His furnace; it is valuable ore that He refines. The blacksmith
puts the iron and steel into the fire that he may know what manner
of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in
the furnace of affliction to prove their mettle and whether they can
be fashioned for His work.
The potter takes the clay and molds it according to his will. He
kneads it and works it. He tears it apart and presses it together. He
wets it and then dries it. He lets it lie for a while without touching it.
When it is perfectly pliable, he continues the work of making it into
a vessel. He forms it into shape and on the wheel trims and polishes
it. He dries it in the sun and bakes it in the oven. Thus it becomes a
vessel fit for use. So the great Master Worker desires to mold and
fashion us. And as the clay is in the hands of the potter, so we are to
be in His hands. We are not to try to do the work of the potter. Our
part is to yield ourselves to be molded by the Master Worker.