Tell Me a Story:
What Good is a Wildfire
#35 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person
with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father
Thank you for some
space to renew my relationship with the Lover of my Soul. I am resuming my former TU and TH schedule
for the blog. Today we have a little flash back to the Tell Me a Story: Parable
section of this series. I hope it burns
in your soul.
Dave and I were
unexpectedly forced to return to our camping mode when our motor home
experienced electrical problems that needed professional expertise. We
discovered a wonderful spot in the mountains southeast of Albuquerque, NM where
we found respite from the city clamor and the desert heat. As I was praying the next morning, I was
looking out the tent window at the canyon walls all around.
The area had obviously been devastated by
wildfire some time ago…I guessed 15-20 years ago. There were still some standing dead trees but
there was a lot of what looked like scrub oak that is 6-10 foot tall and
green! I was struck by this (Holy Spirit
speaking!) and reminded that forest fire has this effect everywhere. Prairie
fire also…perhaps even when houses burn down!
The analogy to life was clear.
When we come through the fire (trials, trouble, injustice, loss, etc.)
everything that can be burned is consumed.
What we are left with is our life in God…the only thing that truly
lasts.
Some scriptures that
came to mind as I was musing were:
“When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the
rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will
not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2 NIV
“See,
I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of
affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10 NIV
“And
the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like
gold refined seven times.”
Psalm 12:6 NIV
Some other thoughts
about fire:
- Fire is a symbol of God’s
presence
- Burning bush. (Exodus 3:2)
- Pillar of fire (Psalm78:14)
- Fire on the mountain (Exodus
19:18)
- Tongues of fire (Acts 2:3)
- Fire is also a sign of God’s
judgement
- Sodom, (Genesis 19:24)
- In battle (Ezekiel 38:22)
- God’s anger (Zephaniah 3:8)
- In the last days of earth
(Isaiah 66, 2 Peter 3:12)
- Fire is a traumatic,
unforgettable event
- It leaves a lasting, though
eventually fading, impression on the landscape or a life
- It marks the end of the
former things and the beginning of something new
- In the beginning that
something new is usually quite ugly
- Sometimes/oftentimes debris
from the old must be removed before the new can truly start
- Fire accelerates the speed at
which the old is replaced/decomposed
When I asked the
Lord why he brought this to my attention,
it seemed he said something that perhaps will resonate with you also:
“You
have indeed felt like you…have been through fire these last few months…I have
brought you to this mountain…to remind you that in me ALL THINGS are renewed
and made new. It is my way! To make all things new.
There
is more fire to come as I continue to refine you. Do not be afraid! Though everything around seems to be being
consumed, it will not touch you…the real you…your soul and spirit. Physical things do not have any value to me
except that I made them for you to enjoy.
And you will enjoy them again…anew.
Are you going
through a fire right now in your life?
Ask God for his perspective. Is
he taking you through and you are seeing devastation all around but you are not being burned? Or perhaps he is refining you like silver or
gold and everything impure is being burnt off? Realize that the fire comes to
pass. It doesn’t come to stay. Although the recovery process may be slow, it
is inevitable. The new growth you will experience will soon be a beautiful
thing and the memories of the fire will fade.
Thank him for this process and he will free your mustang heart.
P.S. If
you are blessed by this blog, don’t forget to leave me a comment or send me an
email. Feel free to share it on your social media. If you
receive this in your email, you may need to visit the webpage (link is in the
footer) to find the share buttons. If you don’t receive it in your
email, sign up for auto delivery at the top right hand column of the
webpage. Be blessed today!
Tell Me a Story:
What Good is a Wildfire
#35 in the Series: Daddy, It's Me--Conversations of an Ordinary Person
with an Extraordinary Heavenly Father
Thank you for some
space to renew my relationship with the Lover of my Soul. I am resuming my former TU and TH schedule
for the blog. Today we have a little flash back to the Tell Me a Story: Parable
section of this series. I hope it burns
in your soul.
Dave and I were
unexpectedly forced to return to our camping mode when our motor home
experienced electrical problems that needed professional expertise. We
discovered a wonderful spot in the mountains southeast of Albuquerque, NM where
we found respite from the city clamor and the desert heat. As I was praying the next morning, I was
looking out the tent window at the canyon walls all around.
The area had obviously been devastated by
wildfire some time ago…I guessed 15-20 years ago. There were still some standing dead trees but
there was a lot of what looked like scrub oak that is 6-10 foot tall and
green! I was struck by this (Holy Spirit
speaking!) and reminded that forest fire has this effect everywhere. Prairie
fire also…perhaps even when houses burn down!
The analogy to life was clear.
When we come through the fire (trials, trouble, injustice, loss, etc.)
everything that can be burned is consumed.
What we are left with is our life in God…the only thing that truly
lasts.
Some scriptures that
came to mind as I was musing were:
“When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the
rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will
not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
Isaiah 43:2 NIV
“See,
I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of
affliction.”
Isaiah 48:10 NIV
“And
the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like
gold refined seven times.”
Psalm 12:6 NIV
Some other thoughts
about fire:
- Fire is a symbol of God’s presence
- Burning bush. (Exodus 3:2)
- Pillar of fire (Psalm78:14)
- Fire on the mountain (Exodus 19:18)
- Tongues of fire (Acts 2:3)
- Fire is also a sign of God’s judgement
- Sodom, (Genesis 19:24)
- In battle (Ezekiel 38:22)
- God’s anger (Zephaniah 3:8)
- In the last days of earth (Isaiah 66, 2 Peter 3:12)
- Fire is a traumatic, unforgettable event
- It leaves a lasting, though eventually fading, impression on the landscape or a life
- It marks the end of the former things and the beginning of something new
- In the beginning that something new is usually quite ugly
- Sometimes/oftentimes debris from the old must be removed before the new can truly start
- Fire accelerates the speed at which the old is replaced/decomposed
When I asked the
Lord why he brought this to my attention,
it seemed he said something that perhaps will resonate with you also:
“You
have indeed felt like you…have been through fire these last few months…I have
brought you to this mountain…to remind you that in me ALL THINGS are renewed
and made new. It is my way! To make all things new.
There
is more fire to come as I continue to refine you. Do not be afraid! Though everything around seems to be being
consumed, it will not touch you…the real you…your soul and spirit. Physical things do not have any value to me
except that I made them for you to enjoy.
And you will enjoy them again…anew.
Are you going
through a fire right now in your life?
Ask God for his perspective. Is
he taking you through and you are seeing devastation all around but you are not being burned? Or perhaps he is refining you like silver or
gold and everything impure is being burnt off? Realize that the fire comes to
pass. It doesn’t come to stay. Although the recovery process may be slow, it
is inevitable. The new growth you will experience will soon be a beautiful
thing and the memories of the fire will fade.
Thank him for this process and he will free your mustang heart.
P.S. If
you are blessed by this blog, don’t forget to leave me a comment or send me an
email. Feel free to share it on your social media. If you
receive this in your email, you may need to visit the webpage (link is in the
footer) to find the share buttons. If you don’t receive it in your
email, sign up for auto delivery at the top right hand column of the
webpage. Be blessed today!
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Teri