Candles create a pleasing atmosphere with their warm, flickering glow as they illuminate a room. And hold a special meaning for me because of their symbolism in our faith. I spent many years serving on the altar guild at our church, the dedicated women cleaning each one, ensuring they burn flawlessly. As one of the younger members, I learned from the other women on the best ways to enhance the beauty of the altar every week. Here’s a little tip: rubbing a candle with an old pair of pantyhose will remove any excess wax.
A Candle Follower
When you look at the candles on the altar, you’ll notice that most have a brass top called a follower. Those followers have two purposes. First, they make the candles burn slower. Second, they prevent them from dripping wax. To use a follower, you need to clean the candles inside and out, place it on the top and make sure it is straight and fitted.
A Candle Follower Faith
In the Bible, the candle symbolizes the eternal flame of faith, guiding the way through the darkness in the world. As seen in Proverbs 20:27 (KJV), “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” This means that our spirit is like a candle, shining for the world to see. We must nurture and protect this light so it can shine for a long time. How can we let our faith burn if we don’t allow Christ to guide its flame, to shape and mold us into vessels of His love and grace?
Allow Christ to Guide Us
A brass follower controls the burn rate. We must likewise allow Christ to control how our faith candle burns. This requires us to wait for the Lord to guide our steps, as written in Psalm 27:14 (ESV): “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” If we attempt to move forward based on our own strength, we will become tired and burned out. To avoid this, we must persist and let Christ, the brass follower of our faith, show us when and how to burn for him.
Candle Wax Buildup
Just as the brass follower prevents the candles from dripping wax, we must strive to protect our faith from the distractions and temptations that threaten to dim its light. The surroundings of the candle affect the follower. Like when a fan blows, a brass follower can move, causing wax to accumulate and interfere with the candles burn. The storms of life can disrupt our purpose. However, we should not give up on our calling, as we see in Galatians 6:9 (ESV): “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
When the wax builds up, we must remove it from the candles. Likewise, we must allow Christ to remove the wax (sin) from our lives. When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us, as 1 John 1:9 (NIV) states: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Through this process, we can once again shine as beautiful candles for Christ.
“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
Prayer
O Lord, we ask you to set our hearts on fire with love for you. May our flame burn bright in our life and shine through us so that our neighbors, and the world, may know the wonder of your love. May the light of your Word live in us, and always kindle our desire to walk with you, serve you, and to be a witness for you. We glorify your holy name, Amen.
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Yvonne M. Morgan is a Christian #author, #blogger, and #speaker. #BibleGatewayPartner
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
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I am so in need of a candle follower, Yvonne. I’m thankful for Jesus and His mercy and gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for this illustration. I will think about it throughout the day.
Thank you Stephen. I need one too. God bless
I love how we can learn lessons from anything, even candles. I pray we shine the light of Christ in every moment. Have a blessed day! 🙂
Me too Melissa. God teaches us so much. God bless
I didn’t know the what, how, and why of candle followers although we have them on our altar candles at church. Thank you for sharing this informative and inspiring post. As Melissa reminds us in her comment, “We can learn a lesson from anything” as long as we pay attention.
So true Katherine. God teaches us through so many things if we pay attention. He is wonderful that way. God bless.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful analogies, Yvonne. I also learned a lot about candles that I didn’t know. Blessings!
Thanks Barbara. God bless
I never knew these details about the altar candles, Yvonne. Thank you for sharing your experiences and offering a deeper message to light up our faith. God bless you!
Thank you Melissa. God can teach us through many items. God bless.
I enjoyed the details about the altar candles–and how it relates to us as Christ followers. I was remembering the song we use to sing in Sunday School. “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”
Thanks Carol. That is a beautiful Sunday School song. God bless and thanks for visiting
I never knew the practical purpose of the candle follower. Enjoyed your application to our lives.
Thank you Debbie. I think they offered a great teaching. God bless.
Wow, Yvonne, this is a beautiful analogy. I was unaware of the candle follower and its purpose. Thank you for this fresh spiritual insight.
Thank you Karen. Their purpose does teach us a lesson on faith. God bless.
What a neat analogy. I’d never heard of a candle follower! I love this line — it resonates powerfully: “Just as the brass follower prevents the candles from dripping wax, we must strive to protect our faith from the distractions and temptations that threaten to dim its light.” AMEN!
Thank you Jessica. We must keep our light burning brightly. God bless.