A Flame in the Bones
Well now, mercy me, friend, here you come amblin’ up like a you’re lookin’ for a real good story that’s just waitin’ to be told. So, come on up on this ol’ front porch like you just smelled the sweet smellin’ aroma of a fresh-baked peach cobbler coolin’ on the kitchen table. Pull up a rocker and settle in for a lil’ spell. Let’s sit here like we’re waitin’ to be watchin’ the sunrise stretch across a field while a curious ol’ raccoon tiptoes by like it’s inspectin’ the morning shift. Life can feel a whole lot like that ol’ raccoon. We wander around thinkin’ we know what we are doin’ until God hands us somethin’ bigger than what we expected, and suddenly we realize we’re about as prepared as a silly lil’ ol’ squirrel thinkin’ he can be tryin’ to fry chicken that his kind don’t even git to eatin’ in the first place. That’s plum why Acts 1:8 fits this moment like meltin’ butter fits on a biscuit. It tells us, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” And here is another verse to deepen the whole message. Jeremiah 20:9 says, “His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones.” Friend, that there verse is like discoverin’ a hidden ember under the ashes. And right here Psalm 104:4 says, “He maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire.” That verse is like findin’ out God Himself hands out the matches. It gits to remindin’ us that when He lights a fire in your spirit, it’s meant to move, shine, and spread.
Several years ago, I stayed at a friend’s cabin in New Mexico. She told me the place was heated by a fireplace and a stove, which meant I had to build fires in both. Now, bein’ from South Central Texas, I asked where I could buy some kindlin’. She looked at me like I had just asked where to buy some moonlight. “You don’t go and buy kindlin’. You go and pick it up right off the ground.” After she took a lil’ time to show me how to gather it, she explained how to empty the ashes into a metal bucket and toss ‘em away only after the embers had cooled off. I nodded like I plum understood every single word.
Later that night, I got up to stoke the fire. The bucket was full, and I figured that the embers had cooled down enough. So I stepped outside into the cold dark night and tossed the ashes right into the yard. Friend, them ashes came with a handful of still-burnin’ embers that lit up the grass like tiny campfires. I panicked. I ran around grabbin’ embers with my bare hands and throwin’ ‘em onto the gravel in the driveway. Then, I found the smallest bucket known to mankind and started haulin’ water like a frantic lil’ ol’ beaver tryin’ to put out a forest fire. Thankfully, the whole county did not burn down. But that’s the real nature of fire. One spark can get out of hand and start somethin’ mighty big right before you know it.
And that’s also the nature of revival. Acts 1:8 tells us it starts small and spreads. Jeremiah 20:9 tells us God’s Word burns inside us until it moves. Psalm 104:4 tells us God Himself turns His servants into flames. Revival begins local. It begins personal. It begins when God lights somethin’ within you that plum refuses to keep stayin’ quiet.
Father, light Your fire in me. Let Your Word burn bright in my spirit. Refresh me, renew me, and let Your spark spread through my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Alright then, friend, as you git to leavin’ and begin to find the path into the rest of your day, hold this truth real close that God don’t need no kind of bonfire to start a movement. He just needs a lil’ ol’ spark. And He often plants that lil’ spark in the most ordinary moments, the way a single ember can light up a whole field. Let Him kindle somethin’ real fresh inside you. Let Him fan it into flames. And let that fire spread until your life gits to warmin’ every soul that steps into its glow because the rushin’ wind of God’s spirit can carry those embers of revival further than we can begin to imagine. So, be available to be used as His spark!
With joy,
Gwen
