This verse may be one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. We love to make placards of it and place it in our homes as a decoration. It makes us feel good! Yet, a closer observation shows that the verse begins with "And". That is a word we use to continue a thought or to give more explanation to a thought. We must back up and get the full meaning of Paul's thought. Just prior to this verse the words tell us that the Holy Spirit helps us with our weaknesses. Paul tells us that we don't even know how to pray but the Holy Spirit helps us even in our praying. The true meaning of this verse is not one where we can simply pick it out and in our human filtering think that it means that all that the Holy Spirit allows and causes will feel "good." It says it will, in the end, work together for good. Then a few verses later we read that the real purpose in all this is to conform us to the image of Jesus. Taking a carnally minded person who cries out to God, "make me more like you", and conform them into the image of Jesus is a life long, often painful process. We get a glimpse of how the Lord accomplishes this task in Mal. 3:3 "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." He causes the fire of circumstances in our lives to burn away the impurities and all that does't look like Jesus until He sees his reflection in us. Our part is simply to allow the fire and the dealing while we are in process. God give us the faith and patience to trust you especially in difficult days.
He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat,
As He watched by the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mould as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho' we fain would have said Him 'Nay,'
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire--not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment's pain?
Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.
As He watched by the precious ore,
And closer He bent with a searching gaze
As He heated it more and more.
He knew He had ore that could stand the test,
And He wanted the finest gold
To mould as a crown for the King to wear,
Set with gems with a price untold.
So He laid our gold in the burning fire,
Tho' we fain would have said Him 'Nay,'
And He watched the dross that we had not seen,
And it melted and passed away.
And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright,
But our eyes were so dim with tears,
We saw but the fire--not the Master's hand,
And questioned with anxious fears.
Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow,
As it mirrored a Form above,
That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us,
With a look of ineffable love.
Can we think that it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment's pain?
Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
So He waited there with a watchful eye,
With a love that is strong and sure,
And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat,
Than was needed to make it pure.
