How God Heals Our Flawed and Impure Hearts
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Our flawed and impure hearts
Most people claim to be “good” people with “good” hearts. Before I knew the Lord personally, I held this idea. The more religious or spiritually inclined often claim to have a pure heart.
No one can purify their own heart. No one.
We can try, but we’ll fail. We fail because we don’t have the right material to work from to develop a pure heart. We’re flawed. Each of us is born with a selfish nature—our self-will.
This selfish nature isn’t obvious at first. When I first see and hold a newborn grandchild, it’s hard to imagine anything but purity in them. Each baby is wholly dependent on their parents, especially the nurturing care of their mother.
But over time—actually, not much time at all—this selfish nature becomes obvious. It’s not just a child’s fascination with the word “no!” or their constant pushing of boundaries, it’s deeper than that. It’s embedded in each of us at birth—our individual self-will.
Our self-will is powerful, especially when it’s challenged and even when it appears to be subdued. No matter what the circumstances, it will eventually make its presence known. This can be a good thing many times, but not when a pure heart is desired.
Many spiritually minded people either claim or desire to have a pure heart. But this can only occur when the Creator of our hearts is allowed to work in us. Rather, when we allow the Lord to work our innate rebellion—our selfish nature—out of us.
How does God purify a person’s heart? He most often uses external pressure. In this Bible version, the idea of fire or intense heat gives us a graphic illustration of God’s purifying process. But in most other Bible versions of this verse, the word “test” is used to describe the process God uses to purify a heart.
“This is a test…” is how most emergency broadcast tests begin. I can almost hear the same thing when going through a trial or time of testing. It may be some difficult situation or a spiritual attack.
We may not like this process, but it is effective. It gets our attention. The choice we have when this testing comes is whether we’ll focus on ourselves or turn to God. God has a purpose for these tests in our lives and the various trials we may endure.
Will we surrender to Him or to self-pity?
Scripture
The crucible is for refining silver and the smelter for gold,
but the one who purifies hearts by fire is the Lord. (Proverbs 17:3 GW)
(Context—Proverbs 17:1-6 GW)
Simple insights
The tests God uses in our lives bring our selfish nature to the surface. Just as in purifying a precious metal like silver or gold in a furnace with an intense heat that reduces the metal to a liquid, so God uses various tests in our life to reduce and refine us.
The intense heat of the refining process brings the impurities of the metal to the surface. Then, the refiner scrapes off the initial impurities that form on the surface. Then the process continues until the metal is pure enough to reflect an image on the surface, like in a mirror or the surface of still water.
Ever wonder why you undergo certain tests in life over and over? These tests reduce us to a place of dependence upon God to overcome whatever the target of this testing is—hard-to-break habits, unhealthy relationships, or some other internal struggles.
God refines us so His image will be reflected in us.
As we experience these tests and allow them to melt us into a trusting submission to God, God will purify our hearts. Each test brings impurities to the surface. When the Lord scrapes these impurities out of us, He also heals the wounds they leave in us.
It’s not an easy process for most of us, but it’s worth the work. The goal is to have a pure heart so that we might see God (Matt 5:8). For now, we walk by faith—trusting in Him and His work in our hearts as He prepares us for the day we shall see Him face to face.
For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Cor 13:12 NIV)
Reflection—
When you experience God’s testing in your life, allow it to melt your heart and submit to God with a full trust that He’s purifying your heart. As each test brings impurities to the surface, allow the Lord to scrape them out of you so He can heal and restore your heart.
Prayer Focus—
Be willing to surrender your heart to the Lord as you come before Him in prayer, this will lead to greater confidence in Him to answer your prayers, as you draw closer to Him through the purifying of your heart.
Here’s a link to a beautiful worship song about the purpose of God’s refining work in us— Refiner’s Fire
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