Music from the Fire


In 2016 Rev. Rocky Henriques, our recently retired pastor, published a book of devotionals called Music from the Fire. This book is one of encouragement and hope for all of us, but especially for those in dark times—those who are “walking through the fire.” Bro. Rocky has graciously given us permission to use his book as a source for weekly devotionals on our website. This week’s devotional is an excerpt from his introduction to the book explaining the meaning of the book’s title.
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“Long ago someone wrote of sitting by a fire, listening to the pops and sizzling sounds coming from the wood as it burned. The writer imagined those noises were songs which had been imprisoned inside the wood, but finally brought to freedom by the flames. 
“The birds had sung while sitting on the branches of the tree. The wind had pushed its way through, making its own music. The rain had written a melody which sank deep into its roots. A child had played and sung in its shade. All these notes had soaked into the wood, hidden away in its trunk.

“They were locked up inside, hidden away until the flames set those notes free one evening when it was chilly enough to warrant an open fire.
“As the years pass, our spirits take in many different melodies of life. They may become trapped, hidden away by busyness, by apathy, by ignorance. The flames of adversity can serve as a wonderful tool in the Hands of God, releasing the music inside of us.”


“So when suffering comes to us, we should never assume we are worthless or bad. It comes. The only choice we have is how we react to it. Difficult times and suffering, if allowed to do their work, can release the music inside of us.
“We don’t have to just ‘pass through’ life; we can gather songs along the way, storing them up for the day we will need to hear them most.”
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       Wait on the LORD, and He will rescue you. Proverbs 20:22b