Daily Devotions

The second verse of our Pentecost hymn continues..

There let it freely burn
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;

The symbolic use of flame as an attribute of the Holy Spirit is plain to see in the teaching of the New Testament. In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often symbolised as fire, representing God's presence, power, and transformative work, as seen in events like the burning bush and the tongues of fire at Pentecost. 

Right at the commencement of Jesus earthly ministry we read of John the Baptist declaring,“I baptise you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Matthew 3:11

Fred Buchner points out that Fire has no shape or substance. You can't taste it or smell it or hear it. You can't touch it except at great risk. You can't weigh it or measure it or examine it with instruments. You can never grasp it in its fullness because it never stands still. Yet there is no mistaking its extraordinary power.

In todays portion of our hymn, the kind of fire expressed is one that has a purifying and cleansing qualities.

A group of women who were studying the book of Malachi and read "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Intrigued by this verse one of the group contacted a silver smith curious to understand the process of refining silver. She watched the silver smith hold a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest, so as to burn away all the impurities.

           

She then asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy ....when I see my own image in it.”

Holy Spirit, like a consuming Holy Fire within me, continue to refine me no matter how much I may complain! Let that fire burn up all the dross and transform me into the image you desire to see in me. As you promised Jacob, “I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you”, so I believe that you “who began a good work in me will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” – until the day in which You can see Your reflection in me! Amen