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| a snapshot of my early evening_9.23.14 |
John 3:8 describes the Holy Spirit like this: "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don't know where the wind comes from or where it's going. That's the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit." As I began to think about John's analogy of the Spirit, I began to think about the parallels that exist between the Spirit and nature's wind...and not just the obvious ones such as, you can't see the wind, but you can feel it, as it is with the Spirit; I can feel Him, but I can't see Him. I began to dig deeper and think harder about the specific parallel. John could've compared it to anything! He could've drawn the comparison to fire, as many writers of the Bible did. He could've compared the Spirit to a compass, one that guides and directs us day in and day out. The comparison could've been drawn to a close friend, one that never leaves and provides the fulfilling comfort we as humans so desperately need. But no...he didn't choose those, or any other object that would satisfy the comparison; he chose the wind. Why?
As I began to dig deeper, think harder and allow God to open my eyes, these 5 simple, but subjectively profound truths, were laid before me.
- Some days, there's no wind at all-- If you're from the south (which I am from the exact location of Alan Jackson's reference in "way down yonder on the Chattahoochee") you're familiar with those dreadful summer days where the sun seems to have a personal vendetta against the Earth and seems to fry everything in it's path. The wind doesn't blow and even the shade, if you manage to find any, offers very minimal relief to the scorching rays the sun is producing. As I began to think about this scenario, the familiarity of it began to resonate within my spiritual life. How many times have you ever felt that you're being beat down by the scorching rays of satan? You try and try, and push in and push in to God, but for some reason, "you just can't feel Him." First off, that hasn't happened to just you. I wish I could sit here and say that situation is more rare to me than familiar, but that would be a lie. I have walked through many seasons within my life and I've questioned if God even heard my cries and pleas; if my prayers were just hitting my ceiling and bouncing back as a slap in my face. As a full time minister of music, there have been times that I've tried my hardest to "press in" and have walked off the stage, questioning the sincerity of my worship because "the wind" wasn't blowing at all. Is this resonating with anyone other than myself? There are some days, I want to crawl back in bed and start again the following day; some days, I just feel off; some days, I don't "feel" God. Some days, maybe more often than not, the wind doesn't blow; the sun scorches, but the wind does not blow. However, our Lord is still sovereign; He still reigns; and He promises, ["Call to me, and I will answer you." Jeremiah 33:3] And if you need reminding, as I often do, God does not go against His word; he is the most faithful promise maker you'll ever meet!
- Structures, such as mountains or valleys, can hinder the wind from blowing--You've always heard the saying "whether you're on the mountain top or in the valley low, the Lord is with you" and what a powerful and true statement that is. But, have you ever thought about the effects the geographical structure can have on the wind? If the wind is blowing in from the west and you're standing on the east side of the mountain, how difficult will it be for you to feel the wind blowing? The mountain would completely block any trace of the wind blowing. You may see the effects of the wind blowing around you, such as the trees on the other side of the mountain swaying and leaves being pulled from them, but you feeling the wind would be impossible with that huge mountain blocking you. In the same sense, when you're in the valleys of life, (worrying about the future, when there's more month at the end of your money, when your children stray and you've said every prayer you can conjure up, when battling depression is a constant within your life, when your marriage is marred by the scars of the past and unfaithfulness that has occurred, when you become tired of putting on a daily mask that suggests everything is perfect when reality shows everything is falling apart) the walls of the valley make it impossible for you to feel the wind of the Holy Spirit blowing in and through your life. Many times in life, we look at our problems as massive mountains that seem impossible to conquer. We may see the Spirit moving in the lives of those around us, but because of that mountain, we are completely cut off from it. We forget the perspective given to us by Jesus Christ himself in John 16:33 right before He was arrested and walked the gruesome path leading to up to Calvary and ultimately our freedom. ["I've told you this so that my peace will be with you. In the world you'll have trouble. But cheer up! I have overcome the world."] When you reevaluate your problems through HIS perspective, that mountain becomes an opportunity for God to prove His faithfulness in your life and the valley becomes a place of testimony to others, showing how your Savior is still in the redeeming business.
- Sometimes, its as soft as a whisper and other times its as fierce as a hurricane--This point speaks for itself. The Spirit works in many different ways; sometimes, and many of the times in my life, the Spirit offers a very unsettled and discomforting feeling when I know something is not right and offers unspeakable peace when the Lord is confirming something within my life. Then, there are other experiences, such as mine in the country of Nicaragua, when the Holy Spirit fell within a service and allowed a young man on our team who had zero spanish training at the time, to begin praying fluently in the Spanish language over a Nicaraguan man who was desperately seeking the Lord. Every person under that tin roof was experiencing the Holy Spirit in an unexplainable way. As my knees hit that dirty floor and the rain began to pour outside, everything within me cried out for more...and more...and MORE of His Spirit! I never wanted to leave and till this day, that country holds a very special place in my heart and my next trip will make my sixth time visiting that beautiful country. Sometimes the Holy Spirit whispers to us and other times, He pours in like the flood waters.
- Different seasons cause different wind "behaviors"--Currently (the month of September), we are in the height of hurricane season. I think back over the past ten years and the number of hurricanes that have hit our country and the record breaking winds that have shaped our landscapes and even our lives. Recently, as summer ended, summer thunderstorms and their heavy winds have slowly made their dismissal from our weekly weather patterns. If you think back to spring time, heavy winds aren't necessarily a character trait of a short spring time shower. Each season calls for different wind behaviors. The same applies within our lives. If there's anything I've learned in this life it's that nothing is ever permanent. Everything has it's season and timing--change will always come. If you're struggling right now, don't be discouraged! Look around for what mountain may be keeping the wind from blowing and remind that mountain who your God is!
- Man cannot control, stop, hinder or enhance wind--I don't know if you've ever tried this, but go outside on a windy day and try to stop the wind...or if you really want to laugh at yourself, go outside on one of those hot summer days and try to create or enhance the non-existing wind...IMPOSSIBLE! Wind is not controlled by man. The same is for the Holy Spirit. As much as pastors, worship leaders & guest speakers may wish they could control or enhance the Holy Spirit, they can't. The Spirit's work in genuine. It can not be worked up or fabricated by man. An emotional experience cannot substitute for the Spirit's work. In the same sense, when the Holy Spirit gets ahold of someone, there is no stopping or hindering His work. The Lord's name will always be glorified in and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
"...We also brag when we are suffering. We know that suffering creates endurance, endurance creates character, and character create confidence. We're not ashamed to have this confidence, because God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5
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