THE VULNERABILITY OF THE VULNERABLE
The scripture in Proverb 20v27 gives a powerful illumination as to the life of man. It says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching the inward belly.” Candle is a unique object that has peculiar characteristics, particularly when it is lit. For example, it burns. It is capable of starting a conflagration. It provides light. It emits energy. It sweats. It shortens. Its light can be blown off in a time of storm. It burns eccentrically in a windy situation. It extinguishes finally. Lastly, its remnant is a waste unless redeemed by a special process. The life of a man can be likened to that of a lit candle. The moment a man is born, he becomes like a candle that is lit. He begins to exhibit the characteristics of a candle.
Man burns. There is a fire that burns inside of man when he is born again and has received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The fire brings about much success in whatever the man findeth his hands to do. The fire also convicts the man of his wrong doings. It sensitises his conscience to godliness. This fire also sends demons packing from the spirit of the man. The fire some other times bring divine healing to the body of man. The abundant life that man inherits as a gift from the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus, can be traced to this fire. The word of God is the fuel that keeps the fire burning intensely.
Man is capable of starting a conflagration just like a candle. The fire of the Holy Ghost that burns inside man has sufficient power to make him evangelise and revolutionise a city, a country even the entire world.
Man also emits energy. He is capable of bringing changes to all situations through prayers. He can get the sick healed through the laying of anointed hands. He can do great works that Jesus Christ did. The scripture has records of great signs and wonders that many men of God performed in the early church. There was the testimony of a woman who was diagnosed of having cancer of the breast that was to be excised surgically. The woman received a divine healing at a normal Sunday service and her doctor was confounded. Another woman who had suffered barrenness for several years due to the existence of fibroids in her womb experienced a miraculous disappearance of the tissue as a result of prayers.
Man sweats. A lighted candle sweats its own life out while it is burning. Man too sweats upon physical exertion and exhaustion. He sweats also in spiritual warfare. Sweating is the expulsion or squeezing out of water from the body. The water that is thus squeezed out contains salt and salt has been known to be an element of sweetening and preservation. The consequences of man’s sweat are a withering of the body.
Man’s life shortens just like a lighted candle shortens. As man advances in age so does his life shortens. Whatever a man does or does not do, his life shortens. There have been instances when man out of ignorance claims to be killing time when he has not got any specific thing doing. No man can kill time. On the contrary, it is time that will see the end of man.
The light in man can be quenched. Just like the light of a candle can be blown out in time of storm, also the light and love of God in man can be put off in the storms of this world. It is very unwise to put a lighted candle in a windy environment. Likewise, a Christian should not foolishly partake in the things of the world. For example, a believer should not because he wants to preach the gospel to members of a secret club join the club. This is where the scriptural admonition of ‘not being unequally yoked’ becomes very relevant.
Man can burn eccentrically. Men in times of trouble have been known to become hyper spiritual. Extended and elongated fasting is embarked upon. Prayers and attendance at fellowships become priorities of exception. Everything and everybody becomes candidate of suspicion. Even useless dreams are arrogated specially manufactured interpretations. Man’s life and programmes thus become unbalanced for as long as the troubles persist. This is the situation that is synonymous to the eccentric burning of a lighted candle as result of storms.
Man is light. The candle is light. The Christian should be a light to the world. He should be an embodiment of what Christ stood for. A lighted candle is of no consequence in the day light so also, a believer will bear no fruit if he does not go into the world (darkness) to evangelize.
Man’s life will terminate. Just like a candle will burn itself out, at the fullness of time man will eventually give up the ghost, regardless of whether he has lived a righteous life or not. The warnings or Ephesians 5v16 that we “redeem the times because the days are evil.” become very apt. Man will not live forever. He should therefore respond to God the way He expects him.
Man will return to dust. A candle will burn itself out into wax, a waste that can only be redeemed by a special process. Man upon demise will return to earth and rot away. There is however a special provision of either resurrection into eternal kingdom or damnation into hell fire at the universal fullness of time. The choice is yours.
Pastor Niran