FIRE IN MY BONES

I have a strange question for you. Do you have fire in your bones? Do you know the prophet Jeremiah did? It is a passage I’ve always found relatable, but first let me share a Scripture I ran across:

Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.  –Jeremiah 23:28-30  (NIV)

Isn’t it interesting to hear the Lord Himself say His Word is like fire and a hammer? God’s word is like fire because it goes forth, spreading like wildfire for those who preach it faithfully and sincerely. The Word is timeless and brings salvation to those who accept it. It is like a hammer as it breaks away our hardness of heart until our hearts beat for Him.

REFLECTION:

When have you experienced God’s Word like fire?
When has the Word been like a hammer in your faith journey?

 

And the Jeremiah passage:

You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.  –Jeremiah 20:7-9  (NIV)

When God first called Jeremiah to be a prophet, He told him he would be set over nations and kingdoms but would have to uproot and destroy them and then restore them. Jeremiah did not realize it would be for his own people. Therefore, Jeremiah found it difficult to share his message of violence and destruction, and naturally, the people were not happy about it. Quite interestingly, despite wanting to stop spreading the bleak message, God’s Word was deeply rooted in Jeremiah’s heart, and like a fire in his bones, he could not help but share it. He could not contain that fire.

Personally, I believe that these past nine years of this writing ministry, consisting of this website and the publishing of three books, have been the way I have shared the fire in my bones. The fire in my bones is needing to share about God’s presence in this world and all the goodness with His orchestrations in our lives. It makes my heart so happy and full of joy to have a way to share Him.

REFLECTION:

Does God’s Word that is rooted deep in your heart have to be shared?
Does the joy of the Lord spill forth from you?

 

Photo courtesy of Baptist Union of Great Britain under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”  –Psalm 39:1-4  (NIV)

David, who wrote this psalm, tried to remain silent as he feared he would not be able to say anything nice. As he lamented over things that were happening, a fire started burning in his bones that he could not hold in any longer as he pondered God’s  Word. He had to let the Lord know what was on his heart and how he wondered about his life.

REFLECTION:

What is something you have been struggling with that you might not have shared with the Lord yet?
When were you able to silence your tongue instead of hurting someone with your words?

 

Consider the story “On the Road to Emmaus” that you might be familiar with. If not, you can read it here. There were two disciples going to Emmaus sad that Jesus was crucified because they thought somebody took Jesus’ body from the tomb. They did not know what happened to Jesus’ body. The Risen Jesus was the one walking and sharing the Scriptures about Himself with these two, though they did not recognize Him. We pick up the story with the two disciples having dinner with Jesus.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together  and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.  –Luke 24:30-35  (NIV)

The disciples recall how their hearts were burning within them when Jesus was sharing the Scriptures with them as they were traveling. God’s Word is like a fire in our bones and in our hearts as we experience Him in our lives. We have to preach and share the Word of God to be satisfied.

REFLECTION:

When has your heart burned within you when reading Scripture?
When were you overflowing with joy to share some Scripture?

 

Photo courtesy of TUYIZERE Thierry under Creative Commons License (CC BY-ND 2.0)

 

Be encouraged this week to…

…let God’s Word be the fire and hammer in your life.

…release the fire of God’s Word from your bones by sharing it with others.

…share with God the struggles or anguish you are experiencing.

…listen more attentively to God’s Word.

 

For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.  –1 Corinthians 9:16-19 (NIV)