Part of the song connected to the link above goes, "Show me your heart, show me your way, show me your glory....." There are probably very few of us in whom Christ dwells, that don't echo that cry or possess that hunger.
In recent days I have been confronted once again with the reality, that no matter what wise counsel I may offer, how much love I have, or effort I put forth, I am limited in how much real and lasting change I can effect in the life of someone else......heck, I can't even change myself!!!! It doesn't matter how much I want it for them, or even how obvious is it that change is needed, there is an inner work that needs to take place, that despite all my best intentions, well-laid plans, wisdom and intellect, or those of anyone else, will never be accomplished by human effort.
That's what I think of when I sing "show me your Glory...." I think of those, some of whom I love SO much, who have never really experienced God, those that still are driven and controlled by rejection, rebellion, confusion, addiction, false concepts, self-preservation, a desperate need to control, bitterness, anger, worry and anxiety, depression, apathy, disease, poverty, insignificance, defeat and failure, abuse.....the list goes on and on and on, and my heart just cries out to see the power of God come and bring the healing, freedom, restoration, redemption, revelation, repentance, peace and rest....all the stuff that only He can do!!! "Show me your glory...."
But then part of the chorus says, "Fire fall down, on us we pray......." Immediately I think of a glory fire, one that sweeps through and puts all things right!!!! But then I am reminded that His fire is a refiner's fire, a holy fire, a consuming fire....and that those fires must burn all that stands in the way of the glory fire that I crave. What am I praying when I pray "Fire fall down...."? Am I willing to walk through the fire....because past experience has taught me that the truly refining fires, the holy fire that consumes all the crud and yuck that I allow to influence and control me......well, it's not always a pleasant experience at the time!!! And often in the midst of it, I begin yelling and demanding that He make it stop, take it away, often because I view it as punishment, as rejection, as disapproval, and definitely as unfair!! Isn't that how many of us view it? We become confused and wounded, angry even, by what was meant to bring us to deeper and greater places of freedom and transformation.
I am learning that these "fires" are not things happening to us, but rather they happen for us!!! For years, when things didn't go my way, I would get angry at God and accuse Him of not caring, not loving, but then time would go by and days or months, sometimes years would pass and I would look back and say, "Gee....I guess you knew what you were doing, and I'm glad that you didn't let me have my way!" Then as I matured some more, the "fires" would come and I would grit my teeth and keep saying to myself, "It's okay, it's okay, just hang on, it's okay!" Then, when I reached that point, I thought, "Whew!! I've arrived!!!" :) I figured I had learned the lesson and trials were over!! :) Then Jesus begins to whisper, "Connie, you've done well!! You have stopped rejecting the fire, you've even actually endured the fire, now if you want to really see my Glory, I want you to embrace the fire!!"
I don't know what all that may entail...and to be honest, I don't want to know ahead of time!!! He hasn't given me the grace today that I am going to need five or ten days, weeks, months, years..........minutes, down the road. No, I've learned that He can, and does, give it to me the second that I need it!!! What I DO know, is that there are a lot of broken, lonely, empty people that need a real touch from God. Some are in desperate circumstances, some are just like me, no longer satisfied to just go through the motions. I want to be fueled by fire, a holy fire, a consuming fire, a refining fire, a passionate fire!!!! Human effort just won't cut it!! Oh, it can accomplish a lot, and it can even look pretty darn good, but it doesn't go the distance and it can never transform and heal the way Jesus can.
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