Winds

“The wicked are like the chaff that the wind blows away”  (Psalm 1:4). Now there is a scary verse. We have a choice to be blown away or not. We can be wicked and follow our own path. Or we can be righteous and seek after God. Those are the only two choices. You love the one and hate the other.  Solomon after chasing after and having everything in the world, considered it all meaningless like “chasing after the wind”  (Ecclesiastes 2:11). That is until at his life’s end when he said, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear the Lord and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  Carpe Diem, seize the day is what he is saying. But not doing it “my way,” but the Lord’s.

You have participated in or seen the harvesting of grain, when the chaff and wheat are separated by throwing them into the wind and letting the chips fall where they may, so to speak. The good grain stays in a pile and the useless is no more. God is speaking through Hosea, the prophet, when He says of those who don’t follow after Him, “They sow the wind and reap a whirlwind.” Yes, we reap what we sow. Sometimes it takes a while to show up, but eventually the crop will appear, good or bad.

The wind blows wherever it pleases the Gospel of John reminds us. Ephesians 4:14 tells us, “There is every wind of teaching,” so be discerning and know what is right.

Jesus calmed the winds with His voice, just as He brought creation with the same voice. It is the still small voice or whisper of God that we want to hear as Elijah did as he stood on the mountain in 1Kings 19:12. He will speak and strengthen us for the journey, giving us the direction to travel. God’s word is “the Way, the life and the truth,” no other voice is to be listened to and followed. We will have trials like Elijah. We need to be reminded of James teaching on storms, to ask for wisdom from God, who will tell us generously what and how to respond to “make us mature and complete, lacking nothing.”

We need the wind to fill our sails and dry the lands after floods. We can’t control the winds, but we can harness them for our benefit. Do so by listening to the voice of God and obey.