When I go camping, I love having a fire at night. I use it for light and for cooking. One of my favorite routines is to start the fire back up again in the morning without a match. How I do that is I blow on the ground where the fire was. The dust and ash get moved out of the way, and I look for pieces of coal or embers under all the ash. Once I find them, I take some kindling, which is pine needles and small sticks, and set them on top of the coals. I then blow again. With the fresh wind, the coals start to glow orange. They seek out the kindling and ignite it. In a few seconds I have a fresh fire that’s ready to keep burning all day.
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah’s fire was quickly extinguished by Jezebel. He had just called down fire from Heaven, but her threat to kill him caused his to extinguish. Instead of letting it stay out, he went to Mount Sinai to seek out God. When he arrived, God asked him why he was there. The process of rekindling his fire began with being honest with God. It was the still, small voice that uncovered the embers and coals. To rekindle the fire, he was given a new assignment and he went back into ministry. His fresh fire came from intimacy with God and a renewed purpose. He wasn’t content to live in the ashes of a fire that once burned bright.
In 2 Timothy 1, Paul began his last letter encouraging Timothy and us to remember the flame that once burned bright in us. In verse 6 he says, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (NLT). Like Elijah, if we’re going to rekindle our fire, we must be intentional about it. We need to seek out alone time with God. We need to be honest about why the flames in our heart have died down. We must listen to His still, small voice that will breathe on the coals underneath the ash. Then we must be ready for our assignment and ready to use the gifts and callings He’s given us. What once burned bright is able to be rekindled. There are still coals underneath the ashes of what has been. Ask God to fan into flame the gifts and rekindle your fire.
Photo by Ksenia Yakovleva on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 