The Spirit Moves
Dear Friends and Family of Hilton Baptist Church,
I’ve been thinking about the wind a lot these last few days. I suppose this is somewhat unavoidable because in my “neck of the woods” it has been quite windy. Even now as I write this, I can hear the roar of the wind outside my window and the tree branches have no choice but to sway back and forth with the gusts that move among them.
I suppose this all started last week when the National Weather Service issued a high wind warning for my area. I did not think much of this as I put the garbage and recycling bins out to the road as it was relatively calm when I did so. Afterwards, I needed to run some errands so I got into the truck and off I went.
About two hours later I had to make one last stop at Wegmans. As I checked out, the cashier said “Be safe driving, it’s kind of windy out there” and I answered “Thanks, I’m heading home and hoping my garbage and recycling bins are still standing”. She chuckled and replied “Yeah, it would be awful to find them dumped all over the place!”
Like a prophet, she instilled a sense of fear into me and also like a prophet she proved to have spoken the truth. As I pulled into my driveway the garbage bin was empty; whew! The garbage collector had already picked it up. But wait, where is my recycling bin? And there it was… lying on its side on the other side of the road with its contents strewn all over the field.
Being somewhat environmentally conscious I changed my clothes, put on my work boots and began trudging through the muddy field to collect the two weeks of items we had been putting into the recycling bin. I hope you will forgive me for admitting this, but I was none too happy and may have even muttered a few inappropriate words under my breath.
This started my reflections on the wind, more specifically the ‘wind’ of God also sometimes referred to as ‘The Spirit’. As I picked up the various items in the field, I thought to myself
“Sometimes I think this is how God’s Spirit works. He comes into my life like a mighty rushing wind; tipping everything over making my otherwise organized routine life a mess! Then I have to go and pick everything up and try to make sense of things. Other times God’s Spirit comes like a cool refreshing breeze on a hot summer’s day and I simply close my eyes to breathe and receive”
Jesus once said “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.” As much as we try, the wind is unpredictable and so is the Spirit of God. Perhaps, in those moments when He comes as a mighty rushing wind, there are things in our lives that need to be tipped over and examined or simply need to be gotten rid of.
At other moments, perhaps the Spirit comes as a gentle breeze because in that moment we need to simply be still, breathe deeply and be refreshed with the presence of God.
So, where and how is the Spirit blowing in your life right now? Is the Spirit coming as a mighty rushing wind tipping over some things in your life that need to be examined and perhaps eliminated? Is the Spirit coming to you as a much-needed breeze and the only thing you should be doing right now is be still and breathe deeply?
Like the tree branches outside, I think I’ll sway to the side and give the Spirit room to move in you as you ponder these questions…
Be Still,
Dan
Categories: Pastors Message