BLOWING IN THE WIND

Remember that old song?

"Blowin' In the Wind" – the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind…

Yeah, well, let me tell you something – there has been no *answer* blowin' in the wind that's hit our mountain like a hurricane.

A more appropriate song might be, "Yo ho, blow the man (woman) down…"

A few days ago, we got hit with some pretty big winds, but they were nothing like this.

We live on the top of the mountain, in a sort of rock amphitheatre – and the wind has been howling for over 12 hours – (35 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph).

I have been up almost all night.

The wind unnerves me greatly.

I feel like a little piggy cowering inside while the Big Bad Wolf huffs and puffs – (hey, no comment on the piggy remark…)

I'm scared.  Scared that a window might break, or that the roof might blow off, or that stuff (like my car) is going to blow right off the side of the mountain.  And, I myself am not going outside if I can help it.  No sirree…

And then, I'm just sort of scared of the wind itself.  

It's wild, unpredictable, powerful.


I've been thinking about two things in the last 12 hours of wakefulness.

First, I've been reminded of those verses about what kind of foundation you choose to build your *house* on – sand or rock.

And how that choice affects you when life starts to pound against your walls.

We can think things are on solid footing, including our faith – but the proof of the pudding comes when the storms roll in.

There's no shame in being buffeted and tossed and scared in the wild winds of turmoil and suffering.

But…what happens to our *house* is what really counts.


I believe that our physical house is solidly built.

In fact, just yesterday, we randomly met the builder who built it 17 years ago.  He happened to be driving by with a new client, and wanted to show her some of his handiwork.  We just happened to be bringing in groceries.

Let me tell you, it was so much fun and so interesting to hear him talk about the house being designed and built.  We learned many new things about our home's nooks and crannies.

Like how the ceiling wasn't originally a cathedral ceiling.  It was originally built flat, until the owner said to tear it all out and lift it up – he couldn't see the mountain!

And, how you used to have to walk through the closet to get into the bathroom.  (HUH???)  That's what I thought.  The builder said, "Hey, don't know what to tell you!"  (Glad the next owner changed that design!!)

One thing he mentioned really stuck with me.

He said the original owner wanted a house that hugged the ground. He used the word *hunker*.

"Yeah, old Horace wanted a house that hunkered."

Little did I know yesterday that the house would be "tested" that very night.

It's standing firm.

I want my spiritual *house* to be like that, too.

I want to have a rock-solid foundation.  I want to be able to stand firm through whatever befalls me.

To do that, I must build on The Rock, for He is the original Designer.

Yes, He'll allow me to be tested – but in my hunkering down, my leaning into Him, He will enable me to endure.


So, the second thing I'm thinking about is the wind itself.

Like I said, it’s wild, unpredictable, powerful.

It is like God Himself.

Listen to this:

"The Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh (Hebrew: רוח הקודש, "holy spirit" also transliterated ruaḥ ha-qodesh) is a term used in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish writings to refer to the Spirit of Yahweh… The noun ruaḥ, much like the English word breath, can mean either wind or some invisible moving force..."  (From Wikipedia)

Yeah, the Holy Spirit – a wild, unpredictable, powerful Wind.

I like that image.

And though it's a bit unsettling, I like the idea of a God that is kinda scary, kinda fearsome, kinda overwhelming.

Otherwise, He wouldn't be God.  He'd be my god – (with a little "g").

A god created in my image.  A god who fits tidily into my definitions and my expectations.

A god who most likely would never, ever have done the unthinkable – enter into humanity Himself.

That was a wildly unpredictable moment in time.

Shocking, audacious, thrilling, authoritative.

Yeah, I kinda like a God who's Almighty.

You know why?

Because I also know He's kind.

I don't ever take that for granted.

I shouldn't be here, shouldn't have been offered the great and mysterious gift of salvation.  I should be destroyed.

But I'm not.

Mercy somehow fulfilled justice…and I live.  Now and forever.

Wild!!


So, it's now 9:00 AM, and it's still howling outside.

But, our mountain home is standing…

…and so am I.

Standing on the solid Rock that gives me the foundation to persevere.  

The Rock who allows me to be tested by the storms, buffeted by the winds, assailed by the thunder and lightning and pouring rain, and tossed by the mighty waves.

The Rock who is wild, unpredictable, and powerful.

The Rock who is not tame.

The Rock who never changes.

The One who is ever good.

My hope is in Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.

"He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth.  He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses." (Psalm 135:7, NLT)

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind…you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." (Ecclesiastes 11:5, NLT)

"For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
            Which lifted up the waves of the sea…
He caused the storm to be still,
            So that the waves of the sea were hushed." 
(Psalm 107:25, 29, NASB)

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?...What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?'" (Job 38:1-2, 24, ESV)

"But Jesus spoke to them at once. 'Don't be afraid,' he said. 'Take courage! I am here!'  Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed…" (Mark 6:50-51, NLT)

"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm." (Luke 8:24, NIV)

"The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." (John 3:8, NLT)

"On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting…And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:1-3, NLT)

"'Go out and stand before me on the mountain,' the LORD told him.  And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.  It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19:11-12, NLT)



What storms have been buffeting you lately?  How are you standing firm?



(SIDENOTE:  My great sympathy and sincere prayers go out to all the people who have been touched by the devastation of the recent tornadoes in the Midwest.  May God bring healing and strength and peace.)


(SIDENOTE #2:  To fulfill a long-time promise to "The Hub" - I will be taking this week off from visiting, commenting, and linking up to other blogs. Thanks for coming by, and I'd appreciate your comments.  I'll be back next week!)


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