Devotionals

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A summer evening
A quiet street
Only one customer at the barbeque restaurant
Me

And the owners (husband, wife and teenage daughter) and a neighbour with his infant son

It¡¯s my retreat
Quietly I sit amongst the hubbub
¡°Speak to me, LORD Jesus,¡± I ask
And the restaurant owner says,
¡°Sorry this is taking so long ¨C I¡¯ll blow on the coals to make them burn more brightly.¡±

She picks up the hand-held wheel-cranked bellows
Aiming the wind outlet part on the coals, she turns, turns, turns and turns some more
The coals, which had been barely burning, turn brilliant red
Radiating heat
Ready to be useful

¡°Breathe on me, breath of God¡±
The words to the ancient hymn break into my mind unbidden
As if they are words from heaven itself

Which they quite possibly are

I sit still
Still amidst the kicking baby with all his funny noises
Still by the cooing teenager who happily plays with the baby
Still by the teenager¡¯s busy mother ¨C busy cooking my dinner of various items threaded onto sticks
Still by the neighbour who has a long story to relate to his friends
Still by the teenagers patient father who listens while turning the rack mounted with bigger barbequed items

Still, I sit, a prayer flooding my mind

¡°Breathe on me, breath of God
Fill me with life anew
That I may love what thou dost love
And do what though wouldst do¡±

My flame of faith is not in danger of being extinguished
But it could sure do with God¡¯s divine billows being directed my way
Hence the retreat

His Spirit lives in me
And today He fans faith into radiant flame again

Ready to be useful

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