“Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.”
Today's reading — Isaiah 6:1-8▾
There is always a set time for every man. The set time for Joseph came when he was 30 years old (Genesis 41:46), even though he had dreamt of greatness since he was a boy (Genesis 37:5-9). When you read Genesis 40:1-23, you will discover that, despite everything he did in prison, the person who was supposed to help him forgot about him. When his set time came, however, he was remembered. I have good news for you as you read this devotional today: the time for the Almighty God to remember you has come.
Joseph’s set time eventually came because he allowed God to make him into the kind of vessel that could save people and nations. If he had harboured anger towards his brothers and allowed bitterness to cloud his judgment, his set time would still have come, but it might have met him unprepared. Instead of becoming Joseph the governor, he might have remained Joseph the dreamer if he had not cooperated with God. Between a person’s dreams and his or her set time is what I call the time of making, which some people refer to as the time of process. It is a period when God removes everything that will not allow a person to shine when his or her set time comes and replaces them with virtues. For instance, God may remove a person’s impatience and anger and replace them with patience and love. He might remove every tendency to be greedy and selfish and work out integrity and faith in the fellow. When you find yourself in a season of making, don’t fight God; rather, cooperate with Him. Allow Him to purge you of every dross so that you can become a fine vessel.
Today’s Bible reading tells us about Isaiah’s encounter with God. Even though he went into God’s presence filthy, he didn’t leave there filthy; he was purified. When the seraphim brought a live coal towards him to put it on his lips, he didn’t object. He willingly allowed the Lord to purify and prepare him for the next phase of his assignment. Sometimes, people don’t cooperate with God, and this makes them go around in circles for a long time.
Beloved, when God reveals an aspect of your life that needs redress, submit to Him and allow Him to work on that area. When you allow God to work on you, He will make you a worthy vessel He can use.