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Expectant Prayers ®

Jennifer Jo Weiss

Harnessing the Wind

I awoke this morning with the winds howling outside. Not cold, brisk winds, either.   It's unusually warm here in Kansas City - so much so that it seems more like mid spring weather than winter!  We're even expecting spring like thunderstorms this afternoon!

This warmer weather has been good news for the Weiss kids who normally would be suffering from cabin fever this time of year.  Instead of being bored to tears being cooped up indoors, they have been able to play in the backyard; football, swinging and playing on the play gym, baseball, and wrestling.  Just to get outside in the sunshine seems to put a little "spring" in their step. 

The WIND is what's on my mind today.  The winds this morning reminded me of March kite flying weather.  Ever since I was a little kid, I have enjoyed a good kite.  My mom and dad would tell you that one of their funniest memories about me  involved flying a huge kite a few years back when Zeke was not quite one.  We were out at the lake and tried to fly it in a big field.  Okay - kite, big field - not so funny.  Add in the fact that I flew the kite with Zeke on my back in a baby backpack!  I guess it would have looked pretty funny.  Zeke fell asleep while I was trying to get it airborne.  It still makes them laugh to this day to remember me running across the field with a kite in my hand and the baby on my back!  Picture it!

When  Pete and I were in college, we went to Walmart and got a kite and several extra spools of string.  We took it to a nearby lake to fly it.  One day (like today) a storm was brewing and the winds were really starting to pick up.  Thinking it would be several hours before the storm would arrive, we got the kite going really high.  The winds took it higher and higher, using up all the spools of string.  We let it fly as long as we could, but it was a little too long.  The storm started rolling in and we felt a sprinkle or two.  Oh, no!  We started winding.  There was so much line out that it was impossible to reel the kite back in. Then the rain picked up and thunder started to roll.  Once the string got wet... that kite broke free like a bull out of the gate.   We watched helplessly as it was tossed to and fro, being tattered and tossed by the gale.   It was somewhat fascinating to watch, but it also gave some  insight into the strength of the wind!   There was no steering the kite, it was simply at the mercy and command of the wind.   It soon became a little dot in the sky.  We drove after it, but could not find it.  We found some of the string in pieces, but never the kite!   I always wondered what happened to it and where it may have landed.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the kite, there are many things that can safely harvest the power of the wind and are not adversely effected by it.  Windmills for energy, sails on sailboats, etc.    They have been designed to withstand the powerful force and use it for good.  They use the wind to their advantage, but always in the designed manner for which they were built.  Also for sailors, they have been taught how to read the skies and would never allow themselves to be put in harm's way.   They respect the wind.   This is also true for people who have designed the wind mills.  Those things are huge.  The engineers start with a respect of the wind, knowing what damage could be caused if one of the windmills broke loose!

So how do these stories apply to us?

Our lives can be like my examples today.  Maybe you're tethered to God like a kite on a string.  You've wandered so far away from the Lord that you've almost completely lost sight of Him.  When the strong winds of life stir up or storms rear their ugly heads, you're at their mercy.  When battered hard enough, you complete break off from God all together and drift away.  You feel totally lost, but unlike my kite story, there is hope.  God specializes in finding the lost!  What was lost CAN be found!

Or, you could be like the windmill or sail boat who have learned how to harness the power of the wind.  When the winds blow or storms arise, they energize you and give you strength - accomplishing or driving you further than what you could have achieved in your own power.  You've grown in wisdom and understanding about the wind and how to deal with it.  You've learned to respect the wind, but not because it is so powerful.  You understand it's magnitude, but keep in mind who controls the wind.
Jesus displayed His total control over the wind and waves found in the gospels.  The disciples were fascinated that even the wind and waves would obey when He would speak.  This tells us one last thing about the wind, that no matter what kind of wind it is, God always has power over it!

I also find it fascinating that one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit found in Scripture is WIND.   We are temple of the Holy Spirit, so this wind is harnessed in us.   Now that's REAL power!

Even if the winds are calm in your life right now, be confident that it's only a matter of time when they begin to blow.  Don't fret, God is in control of the wind.  With His help, you can harness the wind instead of being whipped by it.    He meant it for our good and not harm.

One last thought for today that I hope we all take to heart:

Don't tell God how big your storm is....
tell your storm how big your God is!

 

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