Welcoming the Refiner’s Fire

What does it mean to fear the Lord? Does it mean we should be afraid of God? Does it mean we live in fear of future judgment?

At the end of last year, I experienced something I had never experienced before in my walk with Christ — an encounter with Him I hadn’t felt before. I was reading through the book of Hebrews, in particular chapter 10, when, out of nowhere, I was hit with the fear of the Lord. And I don’t mean fear as just the reverence and awe I was already familiar with, I mean fear that felt like dread, a holy dread, a holy fear. It’s hard for me to describe because it was such an intense and personal moment, but I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion at the intense, holy presence of God that seemed to fill the room just then. And all I could do—was fall on my knees. It was terrifying and beautiful all at once.

The Uncertainty of Change

Leading up to that moment, life had been full of major transitions. We sold the home where we raised our kids, moved twice in two years, and eventually left the state where we had built our lives. With one child recently married, another graduating college, and the youngest two finishing high school, and leaving for college, we downsized and simplified more than I ever expected. Suddenly, we found ourselves as empty nesters in a new place, feeling like we were starting over from scratch. As you can imagine, I was praying constantly—pouring my heart out to the Lord, trying to make sense of it all. And it was in the midst of all that change and seeking that this moment happened.

The Faithfulness of God

Life certainly has a way of throwing us into the fire, and in those moments, it can be hard to tell whether we’re being refined or under attack. Sometimes, God allows fiery trials, hard seasons meant to shape our character, deepen our faith, and burn away what holds us back. Other times, we face spiritual warfare, those targeted, often chaotic assaults meant to discourage, distract, or destroy, coming from the enemy of our souls. The difference isn’t always obvious in the moment, but learning to discern between the two can help us respond with either surrender to God’s refining work or authority to stand against the enemy’s schemes. In my case, I fell under the refiner's fire—I knew it, and I felt it.

There’s a verse I’ve always loved and been encouraged by; it’s 1 Peter 1:6-9:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

There are several things I want to point out in this verse that just blesses me:

If need be …

Genuineness of your faith…

More precious than gold that perishes…

Though it is tested by fire…

Whom having not seen, you love…

I actually could talk all day about that whole passage, but these words in particular really speak to me.

We all walk through fiery trials, and they don’t look the same for everyone. But take heart, they’re temporary (“if need be”), and they serve a purpose: to refine us, so that our genuine faith in Christ can shine through. And make no mistake, the refining process is fiery. Heat will be applied. I felt that heat in that moment—and it didn’t lift quickly. It rested on my soul for months. In fact, I’m only just now coming out of it, nearly five months later. Why? So that my faith proves real, strong, pure, and unwavering; so that no matter what comes, I will be found praising, honoring, and glorifying at the revelation of Jesus Christ, who having not seen, I love.

I believe what I was given was a gift: a taste of the weight of God’s glory and a deeper fear of the Lord…a reverence and love that shook me to the core. It made me think of John in Revelation 1, when he saw Jesus in His glorified state and fell at His feet as though dead. Or Daniel in chapter 10, when he encountered “a certain man”—an angel, perhaps the preincarnate Christ—and all strength left him, his vigor turned to frailty. My experience wasn’t like theirs, not to that degree, but I tasted something of it… and in that moment, no strength remained in me either.

Job 28:28 says, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. I believe the Church today is in desperate need of a return to the fear of the Lord. We need to recover our wonder, our awe, our trembling gratitude. We need to return to the mystery, the majesty, the power, the glory, and the beauty of who He truly is. Only when we come back to the fear of the Lord will we walk in true wisdom, and shine as a pure and holy light in a dark world.

So, pray. Pray for the Refiner’s fire to touch your soul. Pray for it to touch your family, your church, your community, your state, and your nation. Pray like never before for the God of the universe to revive His Church in this hour.

God bless you today,

Carole