The Maker’s Mark
Surrendered to God’s Refining Process
by Lizzy Blanchard
We can find ourselves moving on in one way or another throughout each season of our lives, but sometimes a particular period is marked by that shift. I found myself at such a crossroads recently, wondering if it was time to step out and embrace change. I felt a growing incongruence in my spirit about where I was, accompanied by a fear of where the Holy Spirit was leading me if I followed his prompting into the unknown. I had served in full-time ministry for four years on a church staff, and I sensed God was asking me to make a vocational change and leave a church community I had known my entire life. While I craved a sense of worldly security, human approval, and even my own confidence, these were not what I needed or always received. As I reflect on that prompting by God and the process that ensued, I am reminded of the ancient art of the wax seal.
Wax seals were an ancient practice used to seal letters and identify a specific writer or authority. They served as more than just pretty decorations or simple document seals; they often concealed important messages, documents, and decrees. These special seals confirmed the authenticity of the sender whose unique mark or signature was impressed upon the wax.
We see the use of wax seals in Scripture, specifically in the book of Esther, when King Ahasuerus gives Queen Esther his coveted signet ring. This gift conveyed significant authority that could not be revoked (see Esther 8:8). The impression of a signet ring revealed the owner’s authority and intent, securely communicating his message. It would be identifiable to all who would receive it.
Perhaps you feel more like the melting wax over the fire than the powerful wielder of the ring. Friends, this is the right place to be. The refining process produces the opportunity to bear your Maker’s mark. I began to feel God’s assurance through the consistent fire of conviction. I reflected upon Scripture and the God-given desires in my heart, contrasted with the incongruences I felt in my own life circumstances. As the puzzle pieces of circumstances and confirmations blended like beads of wax melting together just before the Maker formed his impression, the consistent temperature and pressure of the flame beneath me kept burning. The result—a steady flame molding me to a malleable and movable state, ready for his image-bearing mark. At just the right time I surrendered, becoming like that movable wax, ready to be poured out, bearing his impression.
The refining process produces the opportunity to bear your Maker’s mark.
As I took a step of faith, he poured out my melted offering onto an invitation with a brand new address. God orchestrated the pour as he lined up my circumstances. He then pressed in and held me securely just as the signet stamp clings for several moments to the melted wax in a firm pressing as it cools and rests. Soon I could see his signature in the midst of it all, preparing me to deliver his timeless message in a new way.
We are messengers, carrying an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb. We have always held this message since joining the family of God, but perhaps now he is sending you in a different direction, to another place, with the same life-changing message of the gospel that he charges all of his saints to share.
We are messengers, carrying an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb.
The question now shifts.
No longer do we ask, How do I know if it is time to move? Instead, consider the following questions:
- Am I becoming more moldable as I feel the consistent fire beneath me?
- Do I feel a merging of pieces coming together, even if I don’t fully understand it?
- Do I sense the Lord sending me in a new direction?
- Will obedience require faith and bear God’s mark?
Cling to the promise that God is not limited by our perception or circumstances. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19, emphasis added).
If you suspect God has been transforming you for a transition, I exhort you—melt at the mercy of our Maker’s working hands and resolidify—like the wax seal—standing firm once again wherever he pours you out.
Lizzy Blanchard is a writer, communicator, and lifelong student of the Bible who enjoys life’s scenic views and simple pleasures. @lizzyblanchard_
Scripture quotation is from the English Standard Version of the Bible.