Reading through this Psalm, I couldn’t help but think this was written just as much for 2019 as it was for David’s time (about 3,000 years ago). Doesn’t this sound like the rhetoric of today? Where we see in verse four that it says, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own – who can stop us?” And then again in verse eight it says, “the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.”
For me the hope is sandwiched in between these verses when David talks about the refining of silver. Silver, like other metals, isn’t usually completely pure when it is mined. It takes a lot of work to burn off the impurities. The beauty of this scripture is that it is talking about the Lord and how his promises are true – just like pure silver.
This really makes me reflect on my own refining process. Over the years, the Lord has been working in my life. It hasn’t always been easy. There have been times when I have resisted the removal of the impurities in my life but over time I have learned that the hard work of cleaning up my life has been worth it. That’s not to say that I have somehow magically arrived at perfection – FAR FROM IT. This is a process that will continue for the rest of my days here on earth. Why?…well because we struggle because of sin in this world. There is a constant battle between the flesh and the spirit.
But thankfully, the God we serve is pure and true; therefore we can rely on him no matter the trial, struggle, or temptation we are facing. We just need to look to Him and rely on Him in all circumstances.