Since I live in Southern California, the recent (and still burning) fires are obviously at the forefront of my mind.  Like just about everyone else in this region of the country, I know people personally affected in significant ways.  I have been praying along with, I’m sure, a host of others for God’s protection, provision and comfort during this time.  Those are important and valid concerns that have been prominent in my prayers this past week and my heart goes out to those who are suffering.  But I also have to be honest and say something else is even more prominent in my heart and mind at the moment–the spiritual parallel that I believe these fires represent.

We’re all wired differently.  God likes it that way.  He also speaks to us in a variety of ways.  He has wired me in such a way that I am always looking for spiritual application in events surrounding us in daily life and one of the ways God frequently speaks to me is through these events.  I find that many events in the natural are prophetic pictures of what God is doing or about to do in the spiritual.  I can’t help but think that the massive clusters of fire storms California has experienced over the past few years are a prime example of this.

Before I write anything else, I feel like I need to clearly say that in this, as in every other “natural” disaster on the earth, God is wholeheartedly and intimately concerned about the personal impact to the lives of each and every individual affected.  God never has and never will cause “evil” … but in His mercy He most certainly does use certain events in such a way that they serve to bring about the fulfillment of His sovereign purposes–in individual lives and on the earth.  And in California–in a spiritual sense–there is much that needs to be burned.

In our culture we are so immersed in things that don’t matter.  Things won’t last.  One of the ways God can bring good out of a time of great tragedy is when we allow it to re-focus us on what is really important.  That is my prayer for this season–that we will learn from the tragedy and that these fires will ultimately serve to turn us away from the things that don’t matter in the long run and re-focus our attention on the things that do.  Rather than focusing on what’s gone, I pray we we will focus on what remains.  Rather than focusing on what has been lost, I pray we will focus on what can’t be taken away.  And I pray that in the fire we will be purified.

It is no coincidence that God Himself is referred to as a “Consuming Fire.”   In the fire chaff is burned and destroyed, but gold is purified.    When you think of all the images on the news the past few weeks bearing witness to the intensity and immensity of an “all comsuming fire” and stop to consider that God Himself wants to consume our lives in the same way, it paints quite a vivid picture indeed.  He desires to literally consume us–to burn the useless chaff from our lives and wholly purify what remains.  I, for one, pray He will have His way. 

So let’s join our hearts in praying for those who desperately need our prayers right now, but let’s also pray that the fire of His Spirit will consume this state and our nation us and make us holy.

I wrote a post on gratitude and perspective when I was in Israel and it seems to be an ongoing theme between me and the Lord.  I have been so aware lately about how often I have a choice in the way I look at things and also so aware of how that choice affects both my perspective and the level of gratitude in my heart.   

I have a long way to go in this but the good news is that Jesus is teaching me.  I caught myself a couple of times this past weekend longing for this or that to be different.  It’s not that the things I desired were bad in any way–in fact they were good–but focusing on what could or should be, rather than the good that is,  can cause you to lose perpective really quickly. 

No matter how many hard things there are in this life, there are also always many, many things to be grateful for and many things that are good.   And the funny thing is that when you do focus on what is good–you see more good! 

With that in mind, here are a just a few of the random things I’m grateful for today:

1. I am my Beloved’s and He is mine.  (Really, you could stop right there and celebrate for all of eternity.)

2. I’m grateful for the privilege of prayer.  No matter what is on my heart, I can share it with Jesus.  And even better–prayer also works the other way around.  What a privilege it is when the Creator of the Universe shares the things on His heart with me!

3. I’m grateful that God answers prayer.  I went to a service at my church last night that will have me quietly (or not so quietly!) saying “Hallelujah” and “Thank You, Jesus” for some time to come.  He is responding to the cries of His people and stirring a new and deeper hunger in the hearts of many.  I am so glad…and so grateful. 

4. I’m grateful for my health.  This is something I have often taken for granted and I am trying to pay a little more attention and not take it for granted quite so much anymore.

5. I’m grateful that I have two wonderful kids who love me and know that I love them.   Since they are also both now married–God has doubled the blessing by adding a daughter-in-law and son-in-law that I love as my own.

6. I’m grateful for my family.  They are imperfect, as am I, and we don’t necessarily have a lot in common.  But again, I know they love me and I love them.  For the most part, they don’t know or serve Jesus–that part hurts.  But they are still breathing, so there is still hope and God is faithful.  In the meantime, I’m simply thankful to know that the Lord chose exactly the right family for me to be a part of and I’m grateful that He loves them even more than I do.

7. I’m grateful that nothing is too hard for God and that as long as He is on the throne–which, of course, is forever–there is always a hope and a future for all who believe. 

I could keep going on and and talk about how grateful I am for the beauty of His creation; for chocolate; for the ocean and fluffy white clouds; for the adventures Jesus has already taken me on and the promises He’s made for the future; for friends, fellowship and fun; for naps on Sunday afternoon (well, every once in a great while anyway); for God’s great faithfulness, and…well, you get the idea.

Once you start thinking of what you are grateful for the list just goes on and on.  Which makes sense because His glory and goodness go on and on.  And, of course, His love endures forever.

So yeah, today I am grateful and there is much to be grateful for. 

I’m tired.  My body just doesn’t bounce back from travel like I wish it would.  Seems like almost every time I take a significant trip–you know, the ones that cover lots of miles and time zones–I hit a wall when I get back and most of the time I end up sick. 

Unfortunately my most recent trip was no exception and, sure enough, I found myself fighting off a particularly nasty bug when I returned from Israel a week or two ago.  Add that to all the things that piled up at the ministry, the office, and at home while I was gone and I’m so far behind it feels like I’ll never catch up! 

So I’m tired…physically.  But I’m not weary.  As the old hymn goes, “it is well with my soul.”   It’s important to make the distinction.  Sometimes we allow the very genuine needs of our bodies to influence our spirit.  At least I have at times.  There have been many times when my body was dragging and I just couldn’t seem to get it together, that I have given in to frustration and assumed that I wasn’t getting it right spiritually either.  After all, if I was really diligent and applying and believing the Word, wouldn’t I be able to ”overcome” and kick into high gear? I’m slowly learning that isn’t always the case and sometimes I’m just …well … tired.

I’m starting to make that important distinction much more quickly these days.  Not always quick encough, but at least a whole lot faster than I used to! The Lord has spent a lot of time and effort teaching me to walk under His “light” yolk and “easy” burden, so when I start to sense the heavy yoke of legalism and false burdens coming over me it gets really uncomfortable, really quickly and I find a way to get out from underneath it by any and all means possible!

Jesus invited the weary to come to Him to find rest for their souls.  I’ve taken Him at His word and discovered that His yoke really is easy and His burden really is light.  My soul has found rest, so I’m no longer weary…

I’m just tired.