How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word
What more can He say than to you He hath said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled

Fear not, I am with thee; oh be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand

When through the deep waters I call thee to go
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to its foes
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake

At a quick read through of this wonderful hymn, you may think through to yourself, "Why didn't this song stay in the 1700's with all its 'thee's', 'thys', dross - what does that even mean?" However, as you read through each verse you will see themes from Scripture being sung which means we ultimately singing about the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

I first want to do a quick definition of the word "dross". This word comes from the last line in verse four 'Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine'.  Dross can be defined as:

Either the refuse from impure metal which is separated by a process of smelting (Prov. 25:4; 26:23) or else the base (impure) metal before the smelting process.

However, this word is taking place in a bigger context, the verse. The fourth verse is talking about standing firm on the Gospel when "hell or highwater" come our way.  The author of this hymn starts verse four off with, "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply..."  I would hope that this idea is a pretty familiar one for us and that it is simple to comprehend. This sounds almost identical to 2 Corinthians 12:9 "But [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficent for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

But the second part of the verse goes on to say, "The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine." The following Scriptures come to mind: 

1. Zechariah 13:9 - And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, 
                                and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will
                                answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The   
                                LORD is my God.’”
   
   
2. Isaiah 48:10-11 - Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace      
                               of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my  
                               name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
   
   
3. Psalm 66:10-12 - For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You
                                 brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let  
                                 men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through owater; yet
                                 you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

There is no question that troubles and trials are both firey and painful and there’s no question that they also challenge our relationship with God. There is great news in that we can all identify with this part of the verse. We all have had, are going through, or will go through trials and tribulations that are painful. These times can often lead us to a rough place where we get angry, frustrated, or even doubt God.

However, through our Scripture reading and the power of the Holy Spirit, our faith can be  restored, renewed, and rekindled as the dross (the impurities (sin) in our life) is revealed and repented of. 

= = = 

My prayer for this Sunday as we sing this old hymn for the first time is that you would be reminded of the power of the Gospel along with the power, peace, and comfort that it brings. 

You can listen to a version of the hymn here.