Wind, Part 1
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from
or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8
It was a gorgeous day. Early June in the Colorado Rockies is hard to beat; early morning in early June in the Rockies is even harder.
My son and I were on our way up the first of four fourteen-thousand-foot peaks that we intended to climb in one day. Four mountains in a day is an ambitious goal, but with good weather we thought our chances of success were high.
An hour past dawn, as we neared the first ridge in our assent, we noticed the wind. It had been a quiet morning, or so we thought. We had been hiking in a large bowl and had been very protected from the wind.
As we gained altitude and began to climb along the mountain’s ledge, we realized that our day was not as calm as we believed. A strong wind was blowing. At 7 AM the gusts were already strong enough to make us leery of the ledges. As the sun rose and the temperatures increased, we figured the wind would pick up as well. It did.
On the first summit at about 9:30 AM, the wind was blowing so hard my son and I had to shout to hear each other, even from just a few inches away. The wind was consistent and steady. There were no gusts, just a relentless gale that caused the temperatures to plummet and made walking quite a challenge. At one point I leaned fully into the wind to see if I would fall–I didn’t. That’s when I realized that we weren’t going to make any other summits that day. The wind had other plans.
That’s how it is with the wind of God, and that’s what it is like to walk with his Spirit. You never know what God’s wind might do next. Some days God’s Spirit is quiet and gentle, like a barely noticeable breeze. Other days God’s wind blows like an angry tempest, leveling all who try to resist it.
It’s just unpredictable. Any Christ-follower knows that wind forecasts in the Kingdom of God aren’t likely to be too accurate. God would rather you just wake up and see what he’s doing that day.
Christ-following is a wind-driven, wind-dependent life. It’s the great adventure. If you will wake up each day and just raise your sails, then you’ll catch God’s wind, if and when he decides to blow.
Don’t live in the rut of not asking God what he’s up to. Pray, read the Bible, sit quietly and listen to his Spirit. The wind will stir. God may indeed have other plans for you–other summits for you to climb. So be it.
Don’t resist the wind; you’ll lose every time. Turn with it and let God move you along. Let him carry you. Let him set the pace. Let him pick the direction. Such is the adventure that awaits all who would follow God.
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