Wind and Fire

I can honestly say that most of my life I have loved wind. I love the way it blows my hair and it has always made me feel close to God. On Sunday I took a walk on the property. It was a fairly nice day with a gentle breeze (emphasis on gentle). As I stood at the top of a hill and looked out over the land, I could feel the presence of God all around me. I was reminded of how small I really am and how BIG God is. This is the wind that I am use to.

However, here in Africa we have a violent wind. A wind that routinely uproots trees, blows the roofs off of buildings, cuts our electricity out, and messes up the internet. This kind of wind is usually biting cold, knock you down, feels like you should be looking for your little dog Toto kind of wind. This is NOT the wind that I like…..This wind reminds me of how big God is for completely different reasons than the previous wind I mentioned.

Fire is another major problem here. Wild fires break out over farms destroying anything in it’s wake. Fire is even more dangerous when coupled with WIND. Last night was one of those nights. In the distance we could see a mountain burning. Many farmers went to try and help….but to no avail. The fire started about 10 miles from us, but it did so much damage….burned down houses, jumped the highway and made it in to the National Park that is MILES away.

What kept it from our property? Well….the wind. The wind was blowing the other direction last night…so it spread the fire away from us…it so easily could have come this way. How amazing is that?

The Holy Spirit is often characterized by Fire. I should know my college mascot was the Holy Spirit Flames (Go LEE)! So, if the Holy Spirit is the fire that burns and spreads across the land….what is the wind? What is the catalyst, the fierce force that drives the flames in a direction? Is the wind the prayers of the saints? It has been a while since I have seen a real spiritual BLAZE….is that because there is no wind?

It makes me think…..