17 January 2016

Consuming Fire


I was a blaze of fire,
A pile of gas-covered kindling,
And the match was dropped.
And I burned so uncontrollably hot that the flames licked at the walls,
And so we threw water on the fire and squelched it,
And I stepped back, dripping and wondering what
On earth
I had done wrong.
I want to be on fire. I want to be passionate and zealous.
I want to look in the distance and always see the hope dancing on ahead—
But we were scared.
I was scared. Because fires can be warm and good,
But they can destroy and consume,
And I was burning fast like a wildfire, hungry for change.
Oh God, oh God, oh God,
I want to be more than a fire that burns for a while,
Then goes out and leaves only smoke behind.
I don’t want to burn,
And yet I do, I do.
For the fire that rages through my soul and courses through my veins
Destroys the dead trees that bear no fruit.
It opens up the barren womb of the pinecones so that they may bring forth life again.
It rids me of distractions and curling, suffocating weeds,
But the rocks remain.
And by the power of God, these very rocks will cry out,
Proclaiming that Christ never changes, He stays the same.
I’m willing to burn for that.
Because when the soil is tilled again, it shall be more fertile than before,
And roots will grow deeper and stronger.
These trees will stand firm beneath the storms,
These trees will bear fruit.
So I shall burn,
And I shall burn unapologetically,
For this fire was not of my own making or created by my own breath,
This fire was placed in my heart before I was even born,
Knowing that I would struggle even to take that first breath.
Oh Lord, teach me to burn, but not burn up,
To lead but to surrender,
To hold firm to hope and to stand fast on truth,
Plant a courage within me that is stronger than my selfish will,
And a pure heart to beat in my chest.
For unattended, the fire will destroy all that I hold dear,
But under your mighty hand it will preach your truth.
For you, oh Lord, are a consuming fire.  

16 comments :

  1. *nods head like Gandalf and says something wise* Amen, sistah. <3

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    1. Something wise like, "Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves!" XD <3 Thanks, sistah. <3

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  2. GOSH WOW so good. i'm a new follower + i'm already impressed!

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    1. Rachel! Thank you sooo much. It's all God--Soli Deo Gloria. Without Him, I have no words at all. :-) Thank you for the sweet comment!

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  3. Replies
    1. THANK YOU! <3 So glad you read it and liked it. :-)

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  4. oh this is good. REALLY good<3 i'm speechless.

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    1. Agh thank you so much! :-D Soli Deo Gloria, all the way.

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  5. YESSS. I love that verses in Hebrews about God being a consuming fire. It's so awesome beyond words. And this post really hits the spot.

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    1. I KNOW! It's such a powerful passage. So, so good. Our God is so good, but not tame. :-) Thank you for reading and commenting, Maggie! <3

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  6. UGH. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. ♥

    And the title of this post totally caught my eye because me and my family were just talking about the term "consuming fire" the other day. We were talking about what it meant to be consumed by God -- our image to be forever changed by him. And I was just kind of meditating/chewing on the idea of God using fire in the Old Testament, to lead the children of Israel onward by night, though never harming them. And the burning bush, which Moses found so very interesting because it burned but wasn't consumed. idk where I'm even going with this but IT'S INTERESTING. I totally just ranted and came to no point and fell of the edge. heh. but oh well you love me anyway. xD

    abbiee

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    1. ABBIEEEEEEE! <3 (Can I just say how much I adore your new profile pic? I ADORE YOUR NEW PROFILE PIC. There I said it)

      That is so weird and cool that you were thinking about the term! I love coincidences. :-D Woah I love the thought about the burning bush being on fire but not burning up. Because God does not consume Himself, that's for sure. Anyway, yeah, I'm going to have to think about that some more... Thanks for the comment, as always! <3

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  7. Replies
    1. AGH THANK YOU! I am so glad you liked it. :-) <3

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