When The Fire Is Burning Low

Aaron Beard

      Every Christian looks back on when they turned their lives to the Lord and the time that immediately followed with great joy.  There was so much commitment, joy, and excitement in our hearts, worship, and daily service to the Lord.  Within our hearts there was a fire burning hot.  Occasionally, as time goes on, the fire that once was blazing hot starts burning low.  We notice that when we worship the Lord we do not feel the same power, when we sing it is not with the same zeal, and our prayer life suffers.  We fear that we, like those comprising the church in Laodicea, have become “lukewarm” (Rev. 3:15).  What can we do to bring back the same zeal and commitment that we recall with such joy? 

            David was a man of whom the Lord testified, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22).  It was David who wrote many psalms expressing his close relationship with and the zeal he had for the Lord, yet even David recognized times in his life when the spiritual flame was burning low.  He wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit (Psalms 51:10-12). 

            Jesus understood that everyone would go through periods like David of highs and lows in their spiritual lives.  Matthew, speaking of Jesus’ work on earth, said, “He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick…” (NRSV) (Matthew 12:20). Both the smoldering wick and bruised reed were signs of weakness.  When the oil had burned away, the wick of a lamp would begin  to smoking showing it was about to go out.   Instead of pinching the wick and putting it out Jesus gently blows till it returns to a healthy flame.  This is illustrated by Jesus’ dealing with Peter.  When Jesus met Peter He referred to him as a rock, yet he was still very weak and at times it seemed his flame was going out.  Jesus, however, continued to blow on the flicker till it became a roaring blaze of fire.  We see that Jesus is the great encourager, not the great discourager.  He does not just put us out but has rather promised to give aid to His brethren (Heb. 2:16-18). Jesus invites us to come to Him in moments when our fire burns low!  (Matt. 11:28-30)

Reviving The Fire

                How is that we are to get back the zeal and commitment we once had.  First we must recognize that the fire is burning low.  The only person that will do something about his spiritual fire burning low is the man who sees the need and has felt the blaze of the flame before.  This is the message Jesus sent the church at Sardis who was spiritually dead.  Revelation 3:3 says, “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.” 

      Once we feel the fire burning low the first thing we should do is take it to the Lord. Paul wrote, “...By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7).  This was exactly what David did in Psalms 51.  When we realize we are in this condition it should cause us, like David, to fall humbly to our knees seeking help from the Lord.  Paul wrote to the Colossians, “..We… do not cease to pray for you… that you may… (be) strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power” (Col. 1:9-11). 

            When the fire is burning low we should be spending all the more time engulfed in God’s word.  Psalm 19:7 says, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” How we can expect to revived if we do not allow the Lord to speak to us?  It is in the word that we read of the things such as the death of Christ, the resurrection, the promises of God, and our salvation - all things that should cause us to come closer to the Lord.  We must remember that the word of God has the same power to “prick  our hearts” now as it did when we first believed.  The psalmist wrote, “My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word… My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word… My soul faints for Your salvation; But I hope in Your word “ (Ps. 119:25, 28, 81).

            We must also not pull ourselves away from one our greatest source of spiritual strength and revival - our brethren!  When our fire begins to burn low we usually feel a sense of guilt and may even feel distant from our spiritual family.  When this happens with some they remove themselves from everyone else.  Paul, writing to the Hebrews, encouraged them saying, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:24-25).  Peter tells us to encourage one another daily to help prevent the development of “an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God” (Heb 12:13-14).  

            It may be that while the fire is burning low we continue assembling with other Christians, going to Bible studies, and singings and our hearts really not be in it.  We must realize that eventually with much prayer, study, and spiritual exercise our hearts will get back to where it should be.  However, if we stop all spiritual activity because the fire is burning low, how can we expect the Lord to blow the flame back up?

            How much sense would it make for someone who was out camping and freezing to refuse to go anywhere near the fire where he knows he can get warm?