In pioneer days on the prairie lands, fires would sometimes ignite in the tall, dry grass. They would literally find themselves about to be consumed by the flames. The winds would push the flames much faster than they could run. Often even the horses couldn’t outrun the flames. There was no time for escape. So they would burn a patch of ground around where they stood and waited. The fire would sweep up to that patch, find nothing to burn, and pass by. And later those ashes would nurture new life.