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We had our first fall fire this weekend. The wood snapped, crackled and popped as the flames danced in the dark. It was a holy moment.
Fire for me stirs up two very different images. First, I think of bible camp and sitting around the fire singing praise songs and lifting prayers to God. Those fires shaped my life of faith in significant ways. Holy moments to be sure.
The second fire image is of fire trucks racing into our farm yard and hosing down the flames coming from inside our home. An unforgettable moment that I dare say was equally as holy. Holy because I remember being so loved and cared for in the chaos of those moments, and like the fires at bible camp, I knew God was with me, no matter the outcome.
No matter the outcome. No matter the outcome of this election. No matter the outcome of COVID-19. No matter the outcome of the diagnosis, disaster, divorce or death. No matter the outcome, God is with us and for us. Scripture promises us that if God is with us, nothing can stand against us. The prophet Isaiah writes:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you. Do not fear, for I am with you.”
As believers this truth is burned into our hearts. No matter the outcome, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, not height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
No matter the outcome, God goes before us, is behind us and leads us with a pillar of holy fire through the darkness. You are not alone, no matter the outcome, you are loved.
At bible camp one of my favorite songs to sing was called Pass It On. “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” I pray for you today that this is a spark to remind you that indeed holy moments surround you, no matter the outcome. Amen.
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