Fire Fall Down

For those of you who don't know, Fire Fall Down are lyrics to one of my favorite songs.  Hopefully, I didn't just break some copyright law by naming my post that.  To warn you, this post is kind of raw and I've not really dwelt on it a whole bunch. I'm more "shooting from the hip" as they say, but hopefully it will resonate with someone.

Yesterday I was reading 1 Chronicles 21 where David has committed the sin of numbering the people. God moves swiftly in his judgment and discipline of David.  Soon David is instructed to build and altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan (how's that for a name). When David approaches Ornan, the man is very quick to offer everything he has to David free of charge. David replies back to him that he cannot offer something to God that didn't cost him anything.  He buys everything from Ornan so that  he can build the altar and give the wheat offering.  This is usually where I stop in the story.  I've always loved the words of David here in vs. 24.  "I will surly buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."  I

It's like when I told my son one time that if he didn't listen and obey what I said, he was going to lose his Wii privileges.  His response was, "but I can still play my DS right?"  He was okay with the terms of the agreement because, in his mind, he wasn't really going to be sacrificing anything. Needless to say, he lost the Wii, and the DS right then and there.  Daddy don't play that game.

But how often are we willing to give God certain areas of our lives that aren't really a sacrifice to us.  That would be like me falling down at the altar and telling God that I will never drink again.  I've never drank before, I don't plan on taking it up, so it's not really that big of a sacrifice. It wouldn't really cost me anything to give it up.  David recognized the fact that he had sinned and to make this right, it was going to cost him something. 

I said earlier that this is where I usually stop in the story but I continued on yesterday.  This is what I saw.  David offered the sacrifice on the altar. God responded with FIRE FROM HEAVEN.  The thought grabbed me, when we offer something to God that doesn't cost us anything, why would He want to accept that.  God sending down the fire was the sign to David that the sacrifice was acceptable. That song we sing suddenly burst into my head:

Fire fall down
Fire fall down
On us we pray
As we seek
Fire fall down
Your fire fall down
On us we pray

We pray for God's fire, but what are we offering?  Is it worthy of God's fire? David offered this sacrifice out of a heart that was pleading for God's favor to end the plague that he had brought on the people of Israel.  It made me think of what am I seeking God for and in return offering nothing. At least nothing that is of real cost or sacrifice to me. God's fire is a Holy response from a Holy God. I can't expect to do nothing and God respond. I can't expect to give a little and God to pour out all of His great power.  I've got to ask the questions: "Am I really seeking Him, His favor, and His love?" Or. Do I just want Him to show up when I ask Him to with no questions asked? 

I don't know, it challenged me.  God looks at your heart. He knows if you are sincerly seeking after Him.  That Fire isn't just going to fall, it's going to cost you.  But not what you think maybe.  I believe He looked at David's heart and saw a man that was desperate to be right with God. A man the was in pursuit of Him. What does He see when He looks at your heart?