Distilled

 

“For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.”

—Malachi 3:2

Definition of “distill”: to purify or refine (a liquid) by vaporizing it, then condensing it by cooling the vapor, and collecting the resulting liquid: to extract the essential meaning or most important aspects of it.

It occurs to me that God is in the distilling business. He looks for a final product that He has boiled down, made sweet, and fashioned as useful. He wants to bring out the essence of His work in and through us. This process, stated in religious language, is called “sanctification.” It begins the moment we acknowledge that God has called us to Himself and redeemed us through Christ’s sacrifice. This process of sanctification only ends when our earthly life ends and we graduate to spend eternity in heaven.

As a teacher, I practiced the distilling process every time I presented a lesson to my students. I certainly never taught my second graders about thirds and fifths, and chord progressions—lessons I learned in college music theory class. I distilled what I knew down to “so-mi” patterns and “so-do” endings for them to use in their reading of simple songs.

Along the pathway of sanctification, God brings us through a rigorous distilling process. He guides us through fiery trials that help us see Him and His will more clearly. Each trial distills us, in order that we may live purer lives, and so that we may discard the foolish things we so long thought were important. The contaminants and impurities have to go, to allow us to become more like our Savior.

When we arrive at old age, God expects that we will pass the knowledge of His goodness and power on to the next generation. Psalm 71, a prayer from the heart of an older person, recalls youth and a lifelong knowledge of God’s ways. This Psalm asks God for His ability to: “declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” He recalls the trials: “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again.” The Psalmist promises to “shout for joy” and to: “tell of [God’s] righteous acts all day long.”

When we reach a certain age, we have a lot to distill from the experiences of our lives. Consider daily, the lessons you have learned through God’s distillation process. Take note of what the fire has boiled away and what He has for you to share with others about His goodness to you.

You might find that keeping a journal would help you to recall God’s work in you, the Scripture passages that He has taught you through personal experience, the prayers He has answered and through which He has shown you His love and mercy.

What distilled product has God brought forth from you?