The Winds of Change

Living in Florida, we know a few things about wind. There’s the coastal breeze, an ever present fixture along the beachlines. If you live near a lake like we do, there’s the pleasant intermittent gentle lake winds, providing relief from a scorching hot day. Then there are the winds that can bring violence; the sudden downdrafts, drawing energy from high up in the storm clouds tens of thousands of feet, swiftly bringing a welcomed coolness before a sudden deluge inducing  afternoon thunderstorm. And of course… the infamous hurricane force winds. What was welcomed in its mildest form is suddenly unwelcomed and even despised. The furious winds of a storm bring stinging rains, hail, lighting and thunder, and often destruction. 

Before I served the Lord, I had a flower garden in our backyard. As so many other unsaved do, I was constantly seeking after peace. There is only One who can give perfect peace so without Jesus, it is an endless and pointless endeavor. In search of the world’s lie of “zen,” I had purchased a cheap plastic buddha statue and placed it among the flowers. Within a month or two, a big summer storm blew through and wrecked the garden. I mean it was torn up. I had to cut some things down and some had to be replaced. It was a big project. The next year, the same thing happened. And the next year. Three straight years my garden was ripped apart and each time was worse than the time before. The following year, I gave my heart to the Lord. I saw gardening differently then, having a new appreciation not just for what God has created, but also understanding how He gives tender care to each of us, as I do a plant. The Lord spoke clearly to me to get rid of the buddha– and not just to get rid of it, but to destroy it. It was made of resin and I threw it down on the pavement as hard as I could. I picked it up and did it again. Nothing but pieces were left, and as I gathered them for their rightful home in the trash, the Lord spoke to me again, and said, “Now you know why the garden was destroyed.” I had placed an idol among what God had not only created, but with what He had blessed me with. The winds of change were blowing upon my life years before I realized that His desire was towards me and that soon, I would be His beloved.

How has God revealed to you your wrong doing in a situation?

Know that the spiritual winds of change come from the Lord. So often as Christians we want to give Satan the blame (or should I say the credit) for a challenging season in our life. Just as with the natural cycles, the spiritual seasons are seasons of: newness and growth, fruitfulness, decay, and barrenness. All of these seasons come with their own unique winds– Cold and harsh, gusty and sudden, breezy and easy, or dry and dusty. All of them are as important to your spiritual growth as the last, because when you’re in them, you’re learning. We learn about the faithfulness of God in these seasons. We learn about our shortcomings and how fallible we are. We learn that in Him, we are stronger than we are on our own. We learn that without Him, we can do nothing. There is no one who wants to see you grow in Christ more than the Father. If you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in Him: 7 Rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. [Col 2:6-10] If you are in Him, then you are rooted and grounded in love– you have nothing to fear. [Ps 145:20] The LORD preserveth all them that love Him: but all the wicked will He destroy. [Eph 3:16-19] That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.

How can we know if we are rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ?

We’ve got to welcome changes from the Lord. In the book of Acts, the Holy Ghost came like the sound of a rushing, mighty wind. It wasn’t a gentle evening breeze like Adam walked in the coolness of the garden of Eden. The Spirit of God came with an intense purpose to forever change those who were there. You may not like the speed of the wind God has chosen to blow in your life, but it is never without purpose and it is always for your good. There’s nothing wrong with a sweet Spirit of God in a place, but sometimes God desires direct and intense modification. A new Christian or even a weak one, a spiritual sapling, doesn’t stand a chance in challenging straight line winds unless he/she is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ. These winds come to test you– to cause you to dig deeper– Pray, read the Word and seek Him, that you will grow stronger in Him. If you don’t call out to Him, then you’re saying you don’t need Him. And if you’re saying you don’t need Him, then you need Him more than you know! [Is 45:6-8] That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that [there is] none beside Me. I [am] the LORD, and [there is] none else. 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things]. 8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.

Two things happen after every strong storm: God gives a gorgeous sunset, filled with many different colors, seamlessly blending together. The other thing we see after a strong storm is people out in their yards doing cleanup. Part of this process may involve standing a young tree back up that’s blown over. It must be set upright, and it must be tied down to stakes placed in the ground around it. This will steady it to continue to grow straight until the roots are lengthened and more deeply established, bringing strength and stability. God has no problem picking you up when you’ve fallen; but unlike trees, we’ve got to use our voice to call out to Him for help. We’ve got to ask Him to come and set us right. The Lord is more than ready to give us the strength and stability we need that only comes from Him– the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are ready to keep us grounded to ensure we grow properly. [Ecc 4:12] And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Ask yourself, am I leaning in the wind? Do I need to be tied down and set straight before the Lord?

–CC