“The visions and blessings of old are returning” (William W. Phelps, “The Spirit Of God”). Billy Joel's “We Didn't Start the Fire” tries to cram about 40 years of history into a song that's less than five minutes long. Part of the inspiration for the song came from a conversation that Billy Joel had with a friend half his age who was complaining about how Billy Joel had it lucky because he grew up in the ‘50’s when nothing much happened. Billy Joel, who had lived through plenty of terrifying events from that decade was stunned that so much had already been forgotten. The relentless pace and the breadth and depth of the events covered in “We Didn't Start The Fire” does a pretty incredible job of giving us the feeling that most of us face at one time or another that we are all caught up in the whitewater current of history and we're just trying to keep our heads above water. As much as the events of the past few years seem uniquely historic, every generation has to face their own challenges and crises, and they all seem uniquely worse and harder than the ones that came before. But as we learn in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Although the same monsters and evils rear their ugly heads once more in each generation, on the flip side, the visions and blessings of old also return once more. Somehow our parents and grandparents made it through all of the events listed in “We Didn't Start the Fire,” and we will make it through our own trials by fire. God will be with us, just like He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they were cast into the fire. If we can't see our way through the darkness, then we must pray for the visions of old to return to guide us. If we can't bear the burdens placed upon us, then we must pray for the blessings of old to return and lift up our hands that hang down and strengthen our feeble knees. God will not allow us to face this or that crisis without preparing for us an equally powerful blessing. The last days are both great and terrible - terrible because of all of the scary stuff we have to face, but great because of all of the blessings that God pours down upon us. Maybe we didn't start the fire but God will give us Living Waters to put the fire out.
