Be Patient

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

Malachi 3:2-3

Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24:7-10; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40

Recently one of our young people asked me for advice on her spiritual journey. My simple words for this eager disciple of Christ was “be patient.” Take it all in, experience everything you have an opportunity to experience, attend Bible studies, go on mission trips, serve when the opportunity arises and as you do, be patient and watch as God reveals God-self to you in each experience. Our faith is a process, it takes time. We are always learning.

Just like refining silver!! My dad and I were talking recently about silver dinnerware and how it seems many people don’t use real silver as often. My mom used to spend hours and hours carefully cleaning and shining after we used the silver for special occasions (once or twice a year). The silver was beautiful, but it was a lot of hard work to keep it looking nice and refined. The prophet Malachi reminds of that in Chapter 3. He said that the messenger that is coming is like a refiner’s fire…it will take time…it is a process to become righteous before God. In other words, keep working, but be patient.

Near the end of the Luke passage today, we learn about the prophet Anna. She was married for 7 years and then her husband died. She lived to 84 years old. Luke indicates that she stayed in the temple, day and night worshipping, fasting and praying. There is nothing to indicate exactly how many years she was in the temple, but Luke’s context leads us to believe that it was quite some time. However, the story ends with Anna getting to experience the arrival of Jesus Christ as a baby in the temple. She is able to praise God and share with others in the temple about this baby. In other words, she worshipped for years before she experienced the Christ child. She was patient!

Psalm 24, one of the Psalms sung as the people entered the temple, was one that came after sometimes a very long trip to the temple. The words “Lift up your heads, O gates!” is repeated to remind God’s people that this journey toward God is a continual journey. A journey we will always be on. In other words, keep praising God and be patient.