"Singing In The Fire"

Scripture Text: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 (KJV)

Many who know of the story of Mrs. Charles Spurgeon will know that she suffered in sickness for over a quarter of a century.

She had a favorite room where she called her "cozy room". There she would often retreat just to "consider" her precious Lord. one particular evening as she lay on her couch in her "cozy room", while all was bright inside of the room, some of the darkness of the night outside seemed somehow to creep in upon her, and she was moved in her spirit to prayer.

In her prayers, through great sorrow, she asked God why He would permit her to linger so in such weakness, when it so hindered the sweet service she longed to render unto His children. Following what probably was a great deal of tears, and a heaving of her spirit in disquieted emotion - there was silence. Complete... total silence.

While she had not expected God to answer her question with a booming voice of authority giving her the answer that she sought... she had not expected such silence either. There was in fact no sound whatsoever in her "cozy room" except for the crackling of the log burning in the fireplace.

Suddenly there was a whistle that turned somewhat into a song. She listened, and thought maybe God had sent a sweet little songbird to her window seal. But there was no bird. As She listened more intently she realized that it was just the log in the fireplace. It seems the fire was "loosing" the imprisoned songs of the old oak's inner heart. Maybe it too had seen better days when the songbird she had hoped for on "her" window seal would sing his praises to God. A better time when the birds would swoop from one of it's branches to another, and the soft sunlight streaked his tender leaves with gold, and the cool wind of the evening would promise the touch of God's early morning nectar dampening the ground about his roots and bringing him a fresh drink of water.

All of a sudden she thought about how affliction often draws the songs of praise from us; and that when we are purified by the fires of this life - God is Glorified! 

Strangely she found the answer to her question, and her faith swelled as she spoke right out loud, "Singing in the Fire!" "Singing in the Midst of the Fire!" Then she heartily resolved - "Father, If that's the only way to get harmony out of these old apathetic hearts of ours, let the furnace be heated even seven times hotter than before."

Friend, it doesn't matter what condition you're in when you reach for Him - what's important is... that you reach.

Oh Father: We are all encompassed about by such heavy news and bombarded with negativity and darkness through every media portal and how we need to be loosed from that inner heart of imprisonment and bondage to SING YOUR PRAISES onCE AGAIN! Oh Father - I can see it in my Spirit - first a city, than a county, then a state or province, then a country, then a whole entire continent -  a WORLD OF CHRISTIANS SINGING YOUR PRAISE - BELIEVING that in this hour there is nothing more important than to WORSHIP YOU. There is no LAW that could break it; no voice that could overcome it; no war that could wear it down if we would learn first and foremost through all of our firestorms of this life - to reach for You with all of our heart soul and mind in praise! Let it begin with me Oh Lord, In Jesus' Name, I Pray, Amen.