Do We Use Our Own Fires?

I was struck by Isaiah 50:10-11 shown below today and started considering–Do we use our own fires?

…Let the one who walks in the dark,
    who has no light,
trust in the name of the Lord
    and rely on their God.
¹¹ But now, all you who light fires
    and provide yourselves with flaming torches,
go, walk in the light of your fires
    and of the torches you have set ablaze.
This is what you shall receive from my hand:
    You will lie down in torment.

God has blessed me to see people come to faith here in China and grow from darkness to light through long processes. When I meet someone who is interested in faith, I always am anxious to get them to decide faster, but they also need a process.

I meet people in college and people who are already married and people who already have children and people who have grown children.

When they stop lighting their own fires, they start making better decisions and light comes into their lives. The women who married the wrong man, and the parents who did not see their young child well all can come to faith today, but they have losses as they came to faith too late for certain issues.

God can redeem their pasts, and He does, but the path is very tough depending on how many bad choice and bad things get in before a turn to God’s light.

Christians also use their own fire unfortunately.  Their children get hurt or divorce comes to the door. God designed the world and people in a certain way. We can ignore God’s design and ignore His work around us even while we pray and read the Bible. Furthermore, we can use rules rather than love to reach those around us. Many may struggle to know what love is and is not. God help us to find light.

Do We Use our Own Fires Unaware?

Can we trust Him more than we trust ourselves? He definitely knows our past and our future better then we do. He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Our own fires will lead us to torment as God promises above. I wrote before about my Great Grandfather. Can we seek God’s understanding and trust that His ways are best?

Maybe I have said this before but let me say again, We met a divorced women who had an 18 year old son. She grew up under a violent father and a self righteous mother. So, she rebelled against all authority, and her marriage died about the time her son was born. Then, she came to faith when her son was 16, but she got little help. We met her two years later, and a process began. Trusting and believing God in the specifics is not easy. Her parental authorities labeled and condemned her. How can she walk away from their voices in her head and hear God’s?

God Can Redeem Our Past

For many years, her son would not talk to her as all she did was condemn him. We got her a lot of help like hundreds of hours of prayer resolution.   We helped her see what the right way looked like step by step. Our acceptance of her helped a lot.  She had a lot of boundary problems. Naturally, she had trouble trusting God. She was easily deceived as felt so alone.

By the time her son was 30 years old. She could start to see her son well. He still wanted nothing to do with her or any girl actually. She went and made him meals. She sat with him. Years past, and he did not really talk to her. At age 33, he started to buy small gifts for his Mom. At age 36, he got married. Both he and his wife asked her to help them watch their newborn son. None of those three yet have faith. Jodie is her English name, but she speaks no English.

Believing that which is true is not easy. Changing our life is not easy. Starting early is so much better than starting late. Let’s stop using our own fires. God wants to light our way, and His light gives real light.