Article August 31, 2015 Issue

Stillness, a fire within, and healing

Ron Mangelsdorf

When I was a young boy, our family did a fair amount of camping. One of my favorite parts of this activity was sitting around the campfire in the evenings. It was always a joyful and relaxing way to spend time together.

In looking back on those campfire experiences, I have come to realize that what I most appreciated about them were the moments of stillness and quietude. If we have a desire to know more about God, learning how to be prayerful and still will provide a natural way to better know our heavenly Father—the source of all real peace and progress. The Bible instructs us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).

Over the years, I wondered if there was some kind of grand metaphysical lesson to be gained from the countless hours I had spent sitting around fires—perhaps something of biblical proportion. After all, there were important lessons I had learned in studying Bible stories that conveyed significant spiritual inspiration from a burning bush, a fiery furnace, and hearts that burned within.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Expecting healing—with every treatment