Isaiah 48:10

Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
A man in a checked shirt praying in a church, hands clasped together.

Father, the “furnace of affliction” is a place I always try to run away from. I pray for comfort, but You choose to give me character. Forgive me for resisting Your hands when the heat gets turned up. I realize now that You are not punishing me; You are refining me. Wash away the dross of my self-reliance and help me to rest in the truth that You are right there in the furnace with me. Amen.