“AND THE LIGHT OF THE CANDLE SHALL SHINE NO MORE AT ALL IN THEE; AND THE VOICE OF THE BRIDEGROOM AND OF THE BRIDE SHALL BE HEARD NO MORE AT ALL IN THEE…” Revelation 18:23
The other day I made several beeswax candles, and as a novice in candle making, I have come to find the importance of not only wick placement, but also trimming. The wick needs to be trimmed short enough so that it not only has a more controlled flame, leaving the candle to burn slowly, but also prevents the candle from becoming a sooty mess.
As I was making these candles, I could not help but think on the spiritual implications this has in every professing believer’s life. That is how the Holy Spirit works, with both practical and spiritual applications. When I finished, I stood in my kitchen looking upon the several beeswax candles I had made, I gently trimmed their wicks, and sat them on my kitchen counter. The next day, I lit one, and watched the flame ignite. Slowly the flame began to melt the wax and the sweet aroma of the candle begin to fill the air. It was quite satisfying.
When we are born again of the Spirit, we are likened to a lamp filled with oil, allowing the flame of the Holy Spirit to light our path before us. However, just as a flame flickers from the threat of the wind, and dances frantically to avoid being extinguished, so we must carefully protect that flame within us, from also being extinguished.