The Burning Heart
There is in my heart as it were a burning fire. (Jer. 20:9)
Jer. 20:9, 1:9, 5:14; Ex. 4:12; Job 32:8; Ps. 39:3; Luke 24:32
What Is God Saying?
Jeremiah had "as it were a burning fire in his heart," but before that, he had been taking a beating from the chief officer in the house of the Lord. Pashhur was a priest who ought to have been dispensing love and understanding. Instead, he hunted the prophets who called out those like himself who were entrenched in religious power and privilege. Jeremiah was one such prophet, and Pashhur had the solution. Beat him up and put him in stocks. Jeremiah says to him, “The terror you create will come home to roost. Judah will be plundered of the wealth you boast, and you will go into captivity and die, you and all your friends who have swallowed your lies and are in league with you against the truth.” (20:1-6)
Jeremiah turned his anguished heart to God. It hurt to be hated. It hurt to be a laughingstock. (20:7-8) He had to speak God's word, for God had not only put His word in his mouth (1:9) but also made the words in his heart a burning fire. "I am weary of holding it in and I cannot.” (20:9)
How Does This Apply To Us?
The words of God's anger against sin are a burning fire within the hearts of those who have experienced His saving grace. The facts cannot lie as inanimate pieces of stone in a museum or as printed words in an old book in a library. We who love the Lord cannot keep these things to ourselves. Our hearts burn with the disciples on the Road to Emmaus when Jesus shared the truth of His salvation. Anything that is burning will make itself known. The fact of its burning cannot be hidden forever. Fire will out! So the love of Christ cannot be kept under cover.
Pray With Me
Come, dear Lord, to my waiting heart. Possess and rule my yielded heart until it burns with the love of your name and a passion for the souls you love. Let redeeming love ignite obedient faith. Let fire be kindled to purify with all holiness, to enlighten with all truth, and to empower with all strength.
Hearts are always burning. They are ignited by temptation and, burning, are consumed, or they are ignited by the love of God and begin to live. Let it be Your love, O God, that burns on the altar of my heart. Let this burning heart be your burning heart.
In His name, who came to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer is the time when God's love is rekindled in our hearts. Prayer is when God's Spirit, as fire, purifies our thoughts and cleanses our motives; burns away the dross of unworthy desires; leaves the gold of God's love and peace; and fills our hearts with God's love for those who are lost and alone.
