“Send the Fire” was my favorite song during worship at a church we attended when I was a little girl. I loved it, but they would not play it every week and did not hear it anywhere else.
Years later, I remembered it and searched, never finding the “exact” tempo I remembered but found a version I liked.

I visited my cousins in Ruston last weekend, and on the drive, this song came on my shuffle, and I suddenly heard it differently.

“Not this one, too. I like this one.”

You see, for the first time, I heard this song’s errors, and it has happened to a few other songs I enjoyed. It is a fun, upbeat worship song. Maybe I am reading too much into it, but here are the lyrics:

“O God of burning cleansing flame
Send the fire
Your blood-bought gift today we claim
Send the fire today
Look down and see this waiting host  
And send the promised Holy Ghost  
We need another Pentecost  
Send the fire today

God of Elijah hear our cry  
Send the fire  
And make us fit to live or die  
Send the fire today  
To burn up every trace of sin  
To bring the light and glory in  
The revolution now begin  
Send the fire today  

It’s fire we want for fire we plead  
Send the fire  
The fire will meet our every need  
Send the fire today  
For strength to always do what’s right  
For grace to conquer in the fight  
For power to walk the world in white  
Send the fire today  

To make our weak hearts strong and brave  
Send the fire  
To live a dying world to save  
Send the fire today  
Oh see us on Your altar lay  
We give our lives to You today  
So crown the offering now we pray  
Send the fire today“

As I was listening to it, I could not stop thinking as Christians, we HAVE the Holy Spirit. Unless this song were for unbelievers to sing praying to be found by Him, we would always have His spirit if we are a new creature. He states He will NEVER leave nor forsake us, and if He is not a liar, when He died left the comforter with us, then that means He is indwelling. He does not come and go as He pleases but is ALWAYS there to lead and guide us. We are CONSTANTLY being shaped into His image because we are HIS. We belong to Him and are sealed, and we are temples of the Holy Spirit. He does not only descend once a week during a church service and then leaves us on our own the rest of the week.

The error in this song is sending the Holy Spirit “today” when He is with us all day, every day.
“We need another Pentecost.”
The day I woke up and everything was different because Jesus rescued me was the day of my Pentecost. However, that was only the day I ‘realized’ His calling because I was saved before the foundations of the world.

It’s one of my favorite songs, and I do not know why I had to tear it apart, but cannot stop thinking about it. I do overanalyze (too many) things, and maybe it was just alone in the car with my thoughts. However, the Word says to study and show ourselves approved, and He says to get rid of leaven even if it exposes a song we have enjoyed our entire lives.

I do not have this version, but I found it while searching for this post and like it better than the one I have!

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:5