Good morning…
For me, the symbol above embodies the power of prayer. Sitting quietly in a corner of our home, this antique fire extinguisher holds lots of wild-haired curly-Q’s and is coupled with a handheld vintage fireplace blower. “What,” you might ask, “do these old objects have to do with prayer?”
During our Friday morning class, I thought of this quirky symbol as we read aloud the following quote.
“Similarly, there are desires within us that work against the life of the Spirit within us – desires rooted in selfish ambition, pride, lust, fear, self-protection and many other unexamined motives,” writes Ruth Haley Barton. “These desires lurk within all of us, and that is why giving any attention at all to desire feels like opening up Pandora’s box. But it is riskier to refuse to acknowledge what’s real in us, because whether we acknowledge them or not, these dynamics are at work wielding a subterranean power over us. Their power only gets stronger the longer we repress them. How much safer it is for ourselves and for everyone around us if we open up our desires in Jesus’ presence and allow him to help us sift through them. As disturbing as it is to be exposed in this way, sometimes it is exactly what we need. For then Jesus can gently strip away that which is false and destructive in our desires and fan into flame those desires that are good and true” (Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, 25).
Soon after class one woman texting me this poignant screenshot.
In the safe presence of the God who loves us, over time we share every ounce of our deepest desires, allowing the Lord to examine and extinguish our anger, our ego, our greed, our depression, our insecurity, and our fear of death. Again and again our complicated tangle is sorted out with God. Gradually, the spark of the Spirit within our innermost being is uncovered and gently fanned into flame.
Losing our false self and gaining the gift of God, this, my friends, is an important part of prayer.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you… For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:6-7, NIV).
…Sue…
