The Starving Lamp
Luke 15:11- 24 (KJV)
11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:
12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
In my heart all I could see yesterday was a lamp that was starving. when a lamp has used its oil, it begins to burn the wick. The prodigal was such a person.
God Never Forgets the Lamp He Created
He sees the lamp even when others don’t. He knows it’s worth even when it feels neglected. You don’t need a lamp so much in the day; mainly you need it at night.
The night season is so dark, you’re not the first to face the dark season. The Hidden Season Is Not Invisible to Him
Lamps may not burn brightly in public, but God knows every flicker, every longing, every tear, every whispered cry. He doesn’t overlook. He remembers. God does not forget the hidden.
He names the hidden, He remembers the hidden, He calls the hidden by name.
I know the devil has lied to you, there was still time. Neglect can be corrected; your starving lamp can be refilled. Just because your lamp has been hidden does not mean discarded, hidden does not mean forgotten.
It means Heaven is still watching the flame.
Matthew 25 Jesus tells us of the 10 virgins, some more starving lamps they were in one of The Most Dangerous Places. It wasn’t that the lamp could fall and break. The danger was it was a lamp that thought it still had oil.
Matthew 25 says the foolish virgins didn’t realize the shortage until the cry came. Neglect is subtle. It is a situation where you didn’t discern the danger.
No one took time to tell them
“Your Lamp is starving”, or they wouldn’t hear what was told to them.
God whispers
“son your lamp is starving,”
“Oh my precious daughter, your lamp is starving.”
If only the lamp had a voice, but It slowly starves. The lamp didn’t run out of oil because it was used up. It was neglected to be filled. That oil is never automatic, It must be received.
No one drifts into fullness, we drift into emptiness.
The Prodigal didn’t run out of oil serving the Father, He stopped valuing the source.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 (KJV)
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.