I love the wind...

Now to any normal person this love of an inanimate and intangible item may seem odd. I totally understand their confusion and concern for my mental well being. Maybe you feel the same way and if you do, that’s totally okay. When I was a little girl, I loved the wind simple because Pocahontas did. I am obsessed with Disney and my favorite Disney princess is Pocahontas and I’ve always had a crush on animated John Smith. Inside the deepest parts of my soul I have always had the desire to paint with all the colors of the wind while my hair wisps in the air with the same perfection Pocahontas’s hair does. As I’ve gotten older and my perspective has shifted, my reason for loving the wind has changed. Now, I love the wind because I think it is the perfect representation of God’s presence and His power. 

The wind demonstrates God’s presence through its existence and consistency. The wind is something that we cannot physically grasp. In the same way, we cannot fully grasp God’s presence or even the concept of His omnipresence. Even though we do not fully understand it, how beautiful it is! Even when the wind is still, we know that the abilities of the wind has neither gone away nor diminished. In the same way, when we feel like we can’t feel God or hear His voice, it doesn’t mean He has gone away or that He is any less powerful. All it means is that He’s not moving in the way you want Him to right that moment. The problem is not with God’s ability to move or speak in our lives but it has everything to do with our own perspective. We feel like the wind is not blowing because it’s really hot or it’s raining. We believe the wind isn’t moving because everything around us is telling us that it’s still and nonexistent. We feel like God isn’t moving in our lives because we’re going through a really tough time that’s keeping us from feeling His presence; it’s hot or raining in our lives. We believe that God isn’t moving because everyone around us is telling us that God is dead because all of these bad things are happening. God is always moving and always speaking but we don’t always hear it or see it because our human perspectives and sinfulness are getting in the way. 

The funny thing about the wind and God is that you know where it’s coming from but you don’t know where it’s going. If you follow the wind, you don’t know how far it will take you. Following God is the same way; you know where you’ve been and what your past looks like but you don’t know what your future holds because it’s all in God’s hands. You don’t know where He’ll call you to or what He will ask you to do. My favorite part of being outside when it’s windy is just standing still and letting the wind envelope me. I close my eyes, my heart stills, my mind becomes quiet, and I just let the wind wash over me. Every single day, I stand still, close my eyes, command my heart to be still and my mind to be quiet, and let the love and grace of God wash over me. In those moments of quiet worship, He shows me His heart and leads me to where He wants me to go. Sometimes it can seem like I’m just following the wind to nowhere but really I’m following my Christ into His presence and wherever He leads me.

The wind demonstrates God’s power because the wind can be great and mighty and other times, the wind is gentle and comforting. Because of it’s power the wind can destroy homes, towns, and blow down trees and power lines. In the same way, God has raised up mighty nations and brought them down. He has sent wind and rains to flood the earth. He is powerful in and of Himself. But the wind is also gentle. It can provide enough coolness on a hot summer day to sustain a worker in the fields. It keeps our flag waving proudly in the sky. It allows birds to soar through the air with ease and beauty. His voice is not in the mighty rushing winds but in the gentle breezes that just barely brush our hair back. A single breath from the mouth of God brought man and woman to life. With a single word, the wind existed and with a single word from the mouth of our Savior, the wind and the waves are stilled. With one breath, He commands the dead to live again and demons and illnesses to leave. With one final breath, Christ said, “It is finished,” and death, hell, and the grave were defeated forever. The very breath of God is not just “hot air” but wind that is powerful in its gentleness.

I love the wind not because it makes me feel like Pocahontas but because it reminds me of my Lord and Savior. It reminds me that God is moving in my life even when I can’t feel Him and that He is guiding me even when I can’t hear His voice. I love gentle breezes because it reminds me of God’s love and power that comes from a single word. I love strong winds because it reminds me that He has defeated Satan, He is great and mighty, and He was enveloped me with His love, His grace, and His mercy. My God is my strength and my song and when I cannot find the words to describe everything I love about Him, I just close my eyes, command my heart to be still and my mind to be quiet, and let the wind and love of God wash over me in quiet worship.
​