In Water, Wind, and Fire

In the Old Testament God often shows His presence in these three elements - water, wind, and fire. In Genesis 5:9, God destroys everything except the ark and it's passengers in a flood. He used wind and water to save the Israelites as they fled Egypt, but that same wind and water in the Red Sea destroyed the Egyptian soldiers. And, in 1 Kings 18, God used all three to show his power on Mt. Carmel with Elijah and the pagans and afterwards when the rains came to end the famine.

Fire demonstrates the presence of God even more. God spoke to Moses in a burning bush that would not be consumed (Genesis 3:2-6). He descended on Mt. Sinai "in fire" (Deuteronomy 4). He showed all those on Mt. Carmel who was God by sending down fire that devoured not only the wood on the altar and the sacrifice, but also the altar itself and all the water poured over it and in the trenches ( Kings 18:38). As many Bible commentators have pointed out, fire represents the presence of God. Malachi 3:3 tells us that God uses fire to purify His people. "And, we're told that the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel" (Exodus 24:17). Even John saw Jesus' eyes looking like a blazing fire (Revelation 1:14, 2:18 & 19:12).

But God presents Himself differently to us today. The work of His Son on earth changed things. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended in the wind and with tongues of fire on the believers, just as Jesus had promised (Acts 2:1-4). Now, God communicates with us by the Spirit. With His Spirit within us, we can always be close to Him. What a magnificent gift!

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