What in the World is God Doing? His 'Ore-ific' Work in Us

April, 2006

by: Walt Bertelsen

Recently, I was privileged to hear Dr. Paul Tripp address the students at The Master’s College. Paul Tripp is a biblical counselor, a man of God, and a very “picture-esque” speaker. He has written a number of highly recommended books on counseling issues. “Picture-esque,” I said, because he is highly effective in using word pictures to convey biblical truth.

He put some “simple” questions to the students: “What in the world is God doing?” and “How should we respond to that?” The importance of what he was teaching has been driven home to me week after week as I’ve heard the stories of immense suffering among members of the body at Calvary.

Here are some of the truths that Paul Tripp laid out for us. (Warning: these truths have gone through my own “processor” and I do not pretend that they represent any instant replay of his exact message):

While most of us long to know why God does what he does in our lives, what we really need is the “helicopter view.” This is the overview, or summary, of His long-range purposes. And God gives us that view in the Bible. His Word contains the story, from which we can make sense of our lives and everything else. The Lord gives us “plot summaries” strategically placed throughout to remind us of His purposes.

First Peter 1:3-9 is one of these plot summaries. Peter was writing to a group of Christians who were experiencing great suffering. Peter reminds them of the new birth purchased by Christ. Then, he speaks of an imperishable inheritance secure for us in heaven. It is secure: there will be no “9/11” for the people of God. So, we know about the past, and the future. But what about “now”? “Now” is where we struggle.

The “now” is represented in this summary by the picture of gold-ore in verse 7. You know what ore is. Ore contains a valuable mineral locked inside of other minerals. The ore needs to be refined—it needs to be placed into a furnace or boiling pot. As the heat rises and the ore melts, the valuable mineral—in Peter’s case gold—will come to the surface and can be skimmed off. This is the refining process. The gold is brought forth pure (or nearly so). Then, the gold can be used for its intended purpose.

Think about this picture to you from God. For many of us, our faith is weak. When the heat (trial, suffering, grief, etc.) is turned on, we sometimes interpret it as God walking away, punishing us, or being unconcerned with our predicament. He is silent, and we don’t understand what He is doing, or why our faith is tested. But remember this truth, adopted son of the Father: God couldn’t love you and leave you in that ore-state. He has a plan and purpose for your life, and it never means that He will leave you the way you are. This, according to Paul Tripp, is the theology of “uncomfortable grace.” It is not the grace of relief, but the grace of refinement. He cautions us to look to the Lord—not with a “destination mentality”—but a “preparation mentality.” God is preparing you now, not just for heaven (imagined eternal retirement), but for His glory and use. Tripp’s repeated thought is worth writing on the fridge: “God will take you where you do not want to go, to produce what you could never achieve on your own.”

This is what Peter meant when he said: so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. God will faithfully complete His “ore-ific” work in you!