I was praying about the different attacks/difficulties that have recently come the church’s way. God said to me that it wasn’t just spiritual attack — it is more positive — he is forging something.

When something is being forged/tempered it is heated to a very hot temperature and then plunged into something which is very cold and it is strengthened by this process. For Pete and I the summer has been one of extremes of emotion: celebrating our silver wedding, pressures in the church, the joy of Julian Adams being with us and Pete’s mum being ill. I have been through tough times before but the juxtaposition of celebration and sorrow has never been so marked. I think this has been reflected in the life of the church—sorrow one week and rejoicing the next –but this is God’s strengthening process in his purpose.

I asked Jim to tell me more about metal working. He said that when metal is being made into steel it is heated and then plunged into cold water. The crystals in the metal form very quickly and are tightly locked together. As we have gone through things God wants us to draw strength from him but also “lock closely together” so we are stronger.

After this first heating/cooling the metal is very hard but very brittle. To make the object more useful it is reheated and then cooled in oil. The temperature of the oil depends on the desired qualities of the final product e.g. if you are making steel for a hammer head not much flexibility is needed, but it is for a car spring. This speaks of our need to be filled/immersed with/in the Holy Spirit.

As we keep close to God in faith he will use the ups and downs of our lives to forge something useful, stronger than it was. As we immerse ourselves in the Holy Spirit God works out the qualities that he desires in our lives—we are being shaped by him.