Kay Arthur - As Silver Refined: Learning to Embrace Lifes Disappointments

I WANT TO THANK my dear brothers and sisters who over the years have entrusted to me, as a friend, their storiestestimonies to the faithfulness of our gracious, sovereign God. Thank you, beloved ones, for believing God, for taking Him at His Word. You have believed that He is who He says He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently believe in Him. Your faith is pleasing to God, as you know from Hebrews 11:6. And it is also a joy and encouragement to me as a teacher of His inerrant Word.

Of all my books, this is the first of its kind in the way it captures my teaching in print. Therefore, I also want to thank Rebecca Price, Thomas Womack, and Dan Rich of WaterBrook Press, who caught the vision for As Silver Refined after reading transcripts of my teaching on these subjects. What a blessing it has been to work with them. With their servant hearts, they made this book happen when I wondered if it ever could or would. Their encouragement, help, and belief in this books value to the precious body of Christ (and to those who later will come to know Him) have spurred me on through the challenges in the midst of a busy ministry.

Our collective and fervent prayer has been that it would all be of Godfrom Him, through Him, and to Him. To Him be the glory forever (Romans 11:36).

I am grateful to Dr. Joseph Carroll of the Evangelical Institute of Greenville in South Carolina for introducing me to the Five Deadly Ds concept.

The authors of the poems The Refiners Fire, quoted partially in the introductory chapter, and Disappointment: His Appointment, quoted on , are unknown.

Words for the Peggy Lee song Is That All There Is? as quoted on are by Jerry Leiber (1966), with music by Mike Stoller.

The exciting story of captive missionary Bruce Olson in and the accompanying quotations are from the two-part article Bruce Olsons Nine-Month Colombian Captivity in Charisma & Christian Life, November and December 1989.

The story in about Marie Monsen, missionary to China, is from her book A Wall of Fire.

The story of faithful Mae Louise Westervelt in is from The Presidents Letter, April 1982, by Robertson McQuilkin, president of Columbia Bible College and Columbia Graduate School of Bible & Missions

Information and statistics on depression in are from The Harvard Mental Health Letter, October 1994 ( 1994 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, and 19951996 by Philip W. Long, M.D.).

The story of John Sung in is adapted from Leslie T. Lyalls John Sung: Flame for God in the Far East (Chicago: Moody Press, 1964).

C OME, LET ME TAKE YOU BACK to a Judean village in ancient days.

Inside a small, walled courtyard under a blue and blazing sky, there stands a refiner of metals. In his hands, gnarled with age, he is rolling and fingering a lump of ore. He watches the sun play on the streaks and veins of lead and other minerals running through this bit of rock chiseled from the bowels of the earth.

His experienced eye knows that, intermingled within this ore, there is silver.

He lays the ore on his worktable then builds his fire with care and the wisdom of years. Soon the flames are rising in the pit situated against the courtyards stone wall.