Wind

I'm not going all elemental on you with these titles. Promise. It's just the way it worked out.

Dad suggested I read through John over the break, and since he is utterly wise, I'm doing as he said.  So far it's been great, and I'm only to chapter 4.  I got to one of my very favorite verses this morning, John 3:8.  Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus and He says, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

First off, isn't that beautiful?  Just take a minute and reread that verse and think of the wind.  So it is with the Spirit.  Second, I found out some cool information while researching deeper into this passage.  In the Greek language, the same word is used for "wind" and "spirit": pneuma.  The term evolved from a description of an elemental, vital, dynamic wind or breath into a more specific breath blowing from the invisible realms...more of a reference to the Holy Spirit of the Lord as it is used 345 times in the New Testament of the Bible.  This breath of life is the Spirit that gives us new life in Christ.  I love that these words are interchangeable.  They are dynamic, moving as the air around us.

This idea of movement is extremely applicable to the Christian life.  God never calls us to be stagnant.  We are to continuously grow and learn in Him, going wherever He may call, wherever His Spirit (this wind John is talking about) takes us.  Hillsong United has a song dealing with exactly this issue.  If you haven't heard "Oceans" here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy9nwe9_xzw It's totally worth listening to the whole thing, trust me.

But the chorus of this song is what I really want to focus on:

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Wow.  Yes.  This is my prayer because I'm so afraid of the unknown.  I'm afraid of the future, of not having hard and fast plans, of not being assured of anything other than that my Savior is the same yesterday, today and forever.  Which is enough.  Lord, let it be enough.  It takes me to John 3:30 when John the Baptist says of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  The more that I allow Jesus to fill me up, the less room for me and my selfish desires and sinful nature there is.  The more clearly am I able to shine forth the light of Jesus because it's not fogged up by all the junk of moi.

So Spirit lead me where I have never been before, wherever I may be called.  Take me deeper.  I hear the wind, the breath of life God sends to me as the Holy Ghost, and I will follow though I might not know where I'm going.  Honestly, this prayer scares me.  But it also reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia when Mr. Beaver responds like this to Lucy asking if Aslan is safe:  "Safe?  Who said anything about safe?  'Course he isn't safe.  But he's good.  He's the King, I tell you."  Amen.  God is good.  He is always good.

The wind is blowing.  The Spirit is leading.  Aslan is on the move.