Light the Fire in My Heart

(Read Romans 8)

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed deep conversations with Pastors. As a kid, my best friend’s Dad was a Presbyterian minister. He taught me so much about faith and life. As I grew more confident in my faith, our conversations matured too. I consider myself friends with my current Pastor and I love to commend (and sometimes kid) him about his messages. I have also enjoyed open friendships with the pastors at our former church before we moved. The dynamics were different, but I’ve been blessed by the teachings, wisdom, and gifts from each one of them.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1

Theologian John Piper said, “The greatest book in the world is the Bible, the greatest letter in that book is Romans, and the greatest chapter is chapter 8.” Romans 8 begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation” from the love of God. If you’re familiar with this chapter in Paul’s letter to the Romans, you’ll know that above everything else, it’s about steadfastness and assurance. We can make lifelong friends and we can alienate others. But Paul tells us that nothing can separate those with faith from God’s love.

I recently had the opportunity to catch up with a friend from our old church. I wanted to interview her because I have always been curious about the passion and details of her faith story. “There was never a time when I didn’t feel I had a relationship with Jesus,” she told me. She grew up in a family surrounded by believers. She added, “We attended church regularly, including Sunday school. I was teaching it by the time I was a teenager.” Confirmation classes were offered to 5th and 6th grade students. During one class, I learned that in many churches, women were allowed to be Pastors. “I made my mind up that day,” she exclaimed.

“One of the first big benchmarks in my life was Lutheran church camp in late middle school – junior high school,” she said. I’m guessing that it might have been the first time she experienced an openly loving worship community. Or maybe it was that she just felt more comfortable with her peers. “I was surrounded by kids my age, talking, praying, and singing songs in a praise and worship environment.” When I pressed her about what songs she sang (so many years ago), she said, “I remember ‘Light the Fire’ and ‘I Will Call Upon the Lord.’ Music speaks to my faith — and it did.” I didn’t mention it to her while we were talking, but I had a feeling that these songs had significant meaning for her because they’re still singing them in church today.

“I attended Thiel College and majored in religion.” She laughed, “I don’t recommend my approach. I didn’t get accepted early decision to my first choice, so I applied to this college without knowing much about it or visiting the school.” She went on to divulge how her faith transformed and grew. “Coming from my small church, where there was a little too much emphasis on condemnation, it created a culture of fear in me.” Her experience in college was different. She added, “I learned so much about myself and grace. It was refreshing.” She grew and her life changed.

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
Romans 8:18-21

When pregnant with their first child (who will be heading off to college this fall) she suffered from early bleeding. For some reason, the doctor’s didn’t order an ultrasound for 24 hours. “I love to crochet,” she admitted. “It became a spiritual exercise. I prayed and prayed and I made a blanket.” Knowing her as I do, I imagine her physical prayer of crocheting made quite a large blanket. She mentioned to me that she felt Jesus’s presence with her through this entire experience.

Romans 8 tells us to expect suffering in life. Many followers believe that if they live a proper life, they can minimize pain and suffering. In Romans, Paul points us to the cross as an answer to this flawed belief. On the cross, God entered into our pain. Paul mentions this not to minimize our suffering. Suffering is not relative. It’s equally real regardless of what we’re going through. But God was there when Jesus wept. God was there when Jesus was writhing and bleeding on the cross. He feels all we feel and is with us through it all.

My friend mentioned that she lost a baby due to a miscarriage. “There was no goodbye, no funeral. So, I found the funeral liturgy in our hymnal and prayed it. The words and rituals were so helpful to me.” Her statement was a flash of light to me. God’s reassuring love is with us in many different shapes and forms. God meets us where we are. God knows what we’re going through and He knows how to reach us.

“I’ve never had the experience of hearing the voice of God, but my whole life has been gentle nudges.” Most believers don’t have flashpoint appearances from God. The most important thing is to be in touch with God, to be aware of His nudges.

“I started my pastoral career as a Diaconal minister and experienced doubts and pangs of insecurity. In my first year, it didn’t feel right. It didn’t seem like a good fit,” she continued.” After lots of prayer about it, I eventually felt the peace of calm wash over me.” Several years later, God nudged her again. She decided to go to Seminary to be a worship Pastor. “Eventually, I felt as though I should move to something else. I wasn’t sure if I needed to leave the church, but I was feeling that more growth was upon me. Then, I received a call from a Pastor at another church asking if I would be interested.” It would become the church she would eventually call home.

During her time at our church, I got to know her very well. At first, she led the children’s ministry, then served as an Interim Pastor, and then our Ordained Pastor. Throughout this time, her entire family was involved in some capacity. She also has a tremendous voice and sang in our choir. I used to love hearing her sing the Kyrie.

I remember her first sermon, although I confess I have no idea what her message was. Her style is warm and approachable. You can feel grace pouring through her no matter what she is doing or how she is serving the body of Christ.

What’s your go-to Scriptural passage I asked her…

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
Romans 8:26

The “groan” in Paul’s letter to the Romans indicates deep emotion. In our darkest moments, we don’t always want answers. We just want someone to walk with us. Romans 8:26 assures us that God is suffering with us. My friend continued, “I have had times of anxiety and my feelings of fear and condemnation didn’t sit well.” As she was growing out of this period in her life, she didn’t walk alone. She told me that, “My Grandmother was hugely important and receptive to my feelings and questions.” Both her Grandmother and the Holy Spirit were praying for her.

Throughout our lives, our faith can become weak. It can be attacked from the outside and from doubt on the inside. But Paul makes clear that God’s Spirit within us makes the difference. He continually helps us through our weakness.

I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need.
– Charles Spurgeon

Even while we talked on the phone, I could see her smiling as she described her passion for ministering. “One of the first things I learned to love as a Pastor was looking into people’s eyes as they receive the body of Communion.” But then she said,”I used to stress about the size of the chunks of bread I’d rip for people. Was it enough? Was it too big?” Then, another God nudge. “Eventually, it dawned on me that everyone has different needs of grace. Some days we might have a big need for grace, sometimes smaller needs. Maybe whatever I handed them was God’s provision for the amount of grace they needed that day.”

So what about these nudges? “God has always been at work in my life,” she said. “I have always been respectful of people from other backgrounds and beliefs. I come from a point of love.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39

What gives you hope? While we’re all made in the image of God, for each one of us, there’s a slightly different answer. She fired back, “Kids give me hope. Just seeing their faith and open love and acceptance of one another. One day in Sunday school, we asked the younger children to draw a picture of what God looks like.” She told me, “One kid drew the Alpha and Omega.”

Light the fire
In my soul
Fan the flame
Make me whole
Lord, You know
Just where I’ve been
So light the fire
In my heart again
Light The Fire In My Heart Again — Breakaway

Key Applications:

1. Read Romans 8. As you’re reading it ask yourself, does it light a fire within you? What can you do to spark the Holy Spirit within you? Hint: start small. One little thing is a spark.
2. Think of a time when you were going through a low point in your life. Any struggle. Did you try to tackle it alone? If you did, how did it go? If you had someone walking with you, did it make a difference? Lay your burdens on Jesus. Tell Him what you need.
3. The Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf when we are weak and need help. We should be open and willing to accept this help. We should pray for what we’re feeling. What is your main distraction to prayer? How can you change?

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.