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Living in the Slow Burn

Scripture References

• Isaiah 40:31
• Romans 12
• 2 Corinthians 2:14

Overview

Waiting is not a detour; it is the very place God shapes, sustains, and raises His people. Drawing from her life verse Isaiah 40:31 and the image of incense on an altar, Don Shiré shows that following Jesus is a “slow burn”—daily surrender that releases Christ’s fragrance and lifts us to new life. Through stories of unfinished goals, bonfires, fireworks, and an eight-year infertility journey, she invites us to live fully in the wait, trusting the One who is the fire.

Context

• The preacher’s parents gave her Isaiah 40:31 at birth; she has clung to it from age 9 to 41.
• Her newly released book “Slow Burn” recounts how that verse has guided her decades-long walk with God.

Main Points

Waiting Is Life, Not a Season

• Scripture often ties the number 40 to testing; our 40s remind us waiting is normal for people God uses.
• “They that wait upon the Lord” – the emphasis is on waiting, not flawless faith or instant victory.
• Waiting is an invitation to experience God’s presence, grace, and formation every day.
• Illustration: A 20-year-old summer goal list (read the Bible, learn Spanish, record an album, etc.) shows how we underestimate the time God chooses to work. Many of those goals only came to pass two decades later.

From Bonfire Moments to the Slow Burn

• Culture chases big, blazing “bonfire” moments; God often works like the steady, unseen smoke of incense.
• Romans 12 calls believers “living sacrifices,” a picture of continual burning, not one-time ignition.
• Illustration: Louisiana bonfires vs. her husband’s Washington-state incense; incense is noticed not by sight but by scent.

Surrender on the Altar Releases Fragrance

• Incense (Latin incendere, “to burn”) had to be placed on hot coals morning and night; as it burned, a hidden fragrance filled the holy place and carried miles.
• Our surrender unlocks Christ’s aroma in us—faith, kindness, patience—replacing the odors of shame or past wounds.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14: through us God “spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere.”
• Illustration: Malodorous rental car in Nashville—someone else’s choices linger; likewise, God replaces old smells with His.

The Slow Burn Raises Us to New Life

• Incense cannot rise until laid down; so too, what we place on God’s altar is transformed and lifted by the Spirit’s wind.
• Illustration: Lighting fireworks—though silent at first, the fuse is still advancing toward an expected outcome; our faith is re-lit whenever we return to the altar.
• Illustration: Paper airplane—flat paper gains new dimension and flight in a maker’s hands; our ordinary seasons become extraordinary when surrendered.

Waiting Together and Trusting God’s Outcomes

• Eight years of infertility taught her that Jesus, not a fulfilled request, is the treasure; she wrote this message mid-wait, not after the answer.
• God did grant four children, but the deeper miracle was purpose, community, and daily renewal during the delay.
• Community is essential: the same people who pray for you before the miracle celebrate with you after.
• God’s answers—yes, no, or wait—are always purposeful; open hands invite an open heaven.

Key Truths

• Waiting is the normal context of spiritual formation.
• God values lifelong surrender over momentary spectacle.
• What we lay on God’s altar becomes a life-giving fragrance to others.
• We are not the fire; Christ is the all-consuming fire who continually rekindles us.
• Even unfulfilled longings can testify to God’s providence, protection, and faithfulness.

Response

• Embrace the wait as the place God meets and molds you.
• Return to the altar daily—pray, worship, and yield your plans again.
• Trade old “fragrances” of shame or hurt for the aroma of Christ by conscious surrender.
• Stay planted in biblical community; invite others to pray with you before the breakthrough.
• Trust God with both the outcome and the timing, declaring His faithfulness aloud.

Closing

Don Shiré’s final appeal echoes Isaiah 40:31: those who keep waiting on the Lord will run, walk, and soar by His Spirit. The host then invited anyone waiting for provision, strength, or salvation to lift their hands and depend on God’s presence rather than outcomes.

“Meet us in the slow burn that we could know You and glorify You.”

Prayer

(Opening and closing prayers condensed)

• Thanksgiving for God’s nearness and for freedom that comes through His Word.
• Petition for God to write His truth on hearts, renew strength, and transform surrendered lives.
• Intercession for those in seasons of waiting: comfort, power, and renewed faith.
• Salvation prayer: confession of sin, surrender to Jesus’ lordship, request for the Holy Spirit, and gratitude for new life.