Down below, the earth is melted by fire.
Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli,
And the dust contains gold…
Uncover the precious stones…
Bring to light the hidden treasures.
(Job chapter 28, verses 5 - 8)
Uncovered
In your deep places, where your world is melted by fire; wedged into the rock of hard circumstances and hidden below the surface of what others see, yes even in your darkness — lies all that is precious to God.
The gold He is melting and moulding and reshaping in your heart isn’t found in the palaces of your achievements, but in the dust of humility. To be broken, crushed, and crumbled so the only jewel that remains is Christ: this is our holy pursuit.
I once heard a whisper, “Many strive to go higher, but it’s wiser to go lower. Many seek to scale the heights, but it’s more valuable to search the depths.”
As I mined through the hard stone and dug through the darkness, I discovered the greatest treasure: Calvary’s Cross. Christ was crucified in the darkness, Christ was buried in the rock of hard places, Christ was crushed to secure our salvation.
He was pierced for our transgressions,
Crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
And by His wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah chapter 53, verses 4-5)
Wounds that heal
We are accustomed to seek out those who appear strong to bring healing and support — yet in the depths I found One with wounds that heal. Only Christ knows the depths of our suffering because He alone has carried our brokenness. He hung with strength that looked like weakness: a whip-slashed back, nail-pierced hands and feet, breaths seared with exhaustion, and a heart that failed, broken by the weight of crucifixion.
“He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.”
(Psalm chapter 147, verse 3)
He can heal your broken heart because His heart was broken for the love of you. He can bind up your wounds because He was wounded for the joy set before Him: an eternity with you.
Love’s victory
Because of all Christ endured, you can feel safe inviting His Spirit to search the dusty tunnels of your heart. You can trust Him for He will retrieve gold from dust and diamonds from rock.
Love’s victory pushed aside the stone of a defeated grave — and in that moment all your treasures hidden in darkness met the light of the risen Christ. There are jewels that can only be forged in hard places, these treasures your King will wear in His crown for all to see, for this is His testimony of overcoming power at work in your life. When all you see is dust, He sees specks of gold and brings them out of hiding.
In your deep places, where your world is melted by fire; wedged into the rock of hard circumstances and hidden below the surface of what others see, yes even in your darkness — is a secret place where deep calls to deep, where wounded hands uphold you with an everlasting love, and where a holy heart that was broken makes yours forever whole.
Amy is a Press Services International Columnist from Adelaide. Her previous articles can be viewed here: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/amy-manners.html
Amy is a Press Services International Columnist from Adelaide. She has a BA in Creative Writing and Screen & Media, and now works as a freelance photographer, videographer and writer. She was runner-up in the 2018 Basil Sellars Award. Her previous articles can be viewed here: http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/amy-manners.html