Day 40: After the Refining

Opening Scripture

Psalm 66:10–14 (NIV)

10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. 11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. 12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance. 13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you— 14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.

Devotional Reflection

We have come to the end of our forty days. In Scripture, the number forty consistently represents a season of testing, formation, and wrestling—both with God and with ourselves.

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness before God redeemed him through the burning bush. Later, Moses spent forty days on the mountain with God receiving the law, and he came down radiating the glory of the Lord. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, and afterward He emerged in the power of the Spirit.

Our time together has also been a time of wrestling. We have wrestled with the many reasons we have not been as devoted as we know we should be. In that wrestling, we have chosen to hold on to God. We have confessed sin. We have repented. We have begun new habits and spiritual disciplines. Now, like those who came before us, we can expect to come through this season refined—bearing the glory of God, strengthened by the Spirit, and prepared to minister to others.

Yet we must not assume we have arrived. Devotion is not a destination but a way of life. We will need to regularly humble ourselves before the Lord, continuing practices such as fasting, prayer, and self-examination. Refining is ongoing. Still, the disciplines we have embraced—devotion to Scripture, commitment to fellowship, daily spiritual practices, and prayer—position us to be carried forward by the Holy Spirit.

So now what?

The Lord does not form us for ourselves alone. Freedom in Christ is never meant to terminate on us. What God has done in us is meant to flow through us to others. What He has taught us, we are called to teach. What He has revealed, we are called to share. He has entrusted us with more of Himself, along with a responsibility to invest in those He places in our lives—our families, friends, neighbors, coworkers, strangers, and those who are hurting.

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, He described the Holy Spirit as living water. Water remains alive as long as it flows. When it stagnates, it decays. Let what God has done in you continue to flow. See people as Jesus sees them. Listen to the Spirit, and He will show you those He has appointed for you to love, serve, and disciple.

Pray for them. Tell them you are praying for them. Pray with them. Invite them into life with Christ and into His body, the church. This way of living will keep your heart devoted—loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The Examen

1. How has God refined me over these forty days, and what evidence of transformation do I see in my life?

2. Who might God be inviting me to invest in as I allow what He has done in me to flow outward?

Lectio Divina Scripture

Matthew 22:37-40

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (NIV)

Read the passage slowly out loud several times. With each reading, emphasize a different word or phrase. Notice what stands out and why.

Prayer Prompt

Lord, thank You for refining me through this season. Keep my heart devoted to You, my spirit attentive to Your voice, and my life open for You to work through me. Let what You have done in me bring life to others. Amen.