Fall is in the air and that means evenings by the fire. Growing up north of the mason-dixon line had me enjoying them as a summertime evening festivity, but these days, waiting for the changing leaf colors before lighting a flame is a must!

Sitting by the fire, the heat beckons me to stay close, but not too close. It has showed its power to me plenty of times. Embers often hit bare skin and hot wood scorched shoes as I kicked logs back into place when the fire moved from flame to flicker. It melts marshmallows and chocolate just right for smores, but there is no pull to run into the smoke and walk through the flame to the other side. Rather, standing near the fire lends me to turn my head up to the sky. Looking up and moving my eyes away from the heat of the flame and haze of smoke brings clarity to the stars and tree silhouettes against the dark sky.

Given enough time in front of the fire, I find myself turning my back to it like a rotisserie chicken, to even out the warmth it brings to my body. I want to stay close. Moving too far away will freeze my bones. The unexpected surprise of turning my back to the smoke is the opened door for me to see others without being hit by the haze of the smoke clouds or the heat of wood aflame. I am able to step forward, but not away from the light that warms my body and soul.

Fire Filled Love

*Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.* — Exodus 19:20

Before the tabernacle God was the light pushing them across the Red Sea. He was the blaze scorching them with the fear of promised death if they chose sin over Him at Mt Sinai. He was the flame protecting the city they built around Him in the wilderness that followed. But His love did not stop here. His glowing presence in the tabernacle also gave them a place to warm their hearts and souls in their break from the slavery that held their bodies captive in Egypt.

God’s expression of love for His people never stops.

*Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.* — Exodus 19:18

As the Israelites camped in the wilderness after crossing the Red Sea, God’s tabernacle sat in the center of their tent city. In the middle of the action, God was present in all they did as a cloud by day and a fire by night. He made Himself visible to His people in a way they could see and feel Him without having to cover their eyes in fear or being knocked down by His loving glory and power.

*For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys. —*Exodus 40:38

Presence without tremble

Unlike the fire on Mount Sinai, the tabernacle fire hid the fullness of God’s presence so His people could be present near Him without trembling. Because of His love, they were able to build their city with Him in it and still move about living their lives without falling face first to the ground in their reflexive reverence.

As the Israelites looked toward the tabernacle in the center of the city:

God’s heat kept them from stepping in too close and getting burned. The scorch, unlike the fear of blaze at Mount Sinai, pulled them into His arms. His power gave them life greater than the one sin and brokenness held. They could soak up the goodness of His light without fear of the charring darkness surrounding them.

God’s light beckoned them to stay close. The glow provided security in the darkness of a wilderness night. There was peace in knowing His good flame protected them from critters looking for a quick meal and enemies looking for an easy attack.

God’s warmth kept them in a place where they could enjoy His presence. They paused as the flames danced in the air. Without the commotion of trying to run through the fire back into to a life of slavery, they could heal from the hurts of life in captivity and be re-nourished by His love for them.

God’s brilliance shining through smoke led their gaze upward towards the star filled sky. The movement of embers up the cloudy beam directed their eyes away from what imprisoned them towards the beauty of the new life He promised is coming.

God’s blaze provided security He would remain with them all night. The broiling temperature of the steadfast fire pushed them around to face their city. With Him now behind them, they could walk freely forward out of captivity. His powerful presence did not force them out, but instead gave them a safe place to step into the world around them.

HIS Saving FIRE

God used fire to keep His people close as He led them across the Red Sea and later lived with them in the wilderness. Today, God’s fire continues to burn for us. His fire keeps us close, especially in the cold and dark our winter nights can bring.

His fire:

Pulls. God pulls us in and keeps us close because the cloudy dark night is a lonely place to be. He invites us to come to Him in all our brokenness and with all our sin. His scorch wipes us clean and gives us new life, but His powerful heat does not destroy us.

Protects. God encloses us with His loving arms and mighty hands. As we stand close to the glow of His fire, we find peace as it protects us from the battles we left behind and the brokenness still pursuing us.

Pauses. God gives us in a place where we can pause to enjoy His sweet aroma without the distraction of trying to run through the flame back into our sinful ways and broken circumstances. In his warmth we can heal from old wounds and be nourished by His great love for us.

Promises. God promises us a new life when we choose to follow Him. That life is promised for eternity, but until then, He blesses us with glimpses of it today. The beauty we see here on earth with our relationships and in the brilliant works He paints for us is the light directing us away from earth’s brokenness upward into heaven’s fullness.

Pushes. God stays with us wherever we go. As our hearts overflow with His love He pushes us to turn and step into the life He has placed in front of us. Now positioned behind us, His steadfast presence provides a safe place for us to move ahead freely. Our sin, still present, no longer holds us captive.

Our Protected posture

All this God does with the purpose to shift our posture. We come to Him and choose to stay close to His loving arms. His flame draws us into His light and away from the battles consuming us. He leads us to look up towards heaven, solidifying our relationship with Him first and foremost. We sit as He shares glimpses of His promise with us. Only then can His everlasting presence and protection gift us the room to turn outward.

With God behind us, we stand confident. We are warm. Our hearts and souls remain ablaze as we freely go out into the world before us.

Now last in line, God nudges us into a place we can use our gifts for His glory while not letting us step out of his firelight. We step forward towards others not because God makes us but because God gives us a safe place to walk in. The haze of our sin no longer blocking our view, we can clearly see their needs and desires.

With His fire, He elevates us to do something we could not do on our own. To escape what holds us captive, find freedom, and go share His glimpses of heaven with others!