Here comes the wind and the water!

Have you ever considered how fundamental the basic elements of wind and water are to life as we know it?  Have you ever thought about how much time we spend in and around water?  As humans, we seem to be drawn to water.  We consume designer water, bottle after bottle, we join health and country clubs where we can socialize with others around water (swimming pools, whirlpools, etc.), we watch our kids fill up little plastic balloons and throw the stuff at each other at parties during the summer, we go to water “parks”, aquariums, lakes, rivers, and we love to go to the beach and play next to and in the shark infested waters!  And, hopefully, most of us bathe in water regularly.

Water.  It can affect us in a number of ways.  At times, like yesterday, as I watched my two daughters stand, sing, and laugh outside during a downpour, the waters of life can offer us a respite, a refreshing.  At other times, the waters of life flood us with grief both physically and emotionally.  Water, and the other “elements” of life have a profound role in our lives.  It would do us well then, I think, to consider the One from whom the waters ultimately flow.  For any sense of understanding and hope as to the impact of the “elements” in our lives we must consider the One who holds them all in His hands.  Amidst the painful waters of death, loss, sadness, and sin, we must give thanks to the One who offers life, blessing, joy, and forgiveness.  In the torrential downpour of difficulty we face, we must turn to Him for safety and shelter.  Amidst the blissful soothing showers of life, and as we bask in the beauty of His rainbow of promise we, again, must thank the One who brings the blessing.

The writing below, an excerpt from my book Soul Storm (www.soulstormsite.com), is a brief glimpse of this One who brings, allows, controls, and ultimately gathers all the waters of our lives.  He brings the rushing waters of change, and from Him flows the river of cleansing for our guilt and shame.  He even bottles all of our tears, we are told in scripture.  In the midst of all the elements God is at work.  Consider Him.

God of Wind and Water

Wind and water are, of course, elements without which we cannot live.  The two are capable of refreshing and sustaining us and are essential to life on our planet.  Agencies, governments, and all kinds of groups are devoted to the critical task of making sure that the quality of our air and water are maintained.  Technology, money, and many resources are dedicated to the management of these most basic of elements.  Water treatment plants, bottled water, flavored water, spring water, well water, water testing, water parks, watering holes, water sports; there are references to importance of water all around us.  The same is true of wind.  Windmills, whirlwinds, the “windy city”, winds of change, passing wind (excuse me); wind is everywhere.  Water provides hydration for our bodies, nourishment for plants, a habitat for sea creatures, and is the backbone of the farming industry.  Wind provides for our needs in similar ways that affect our use of power, the way we travel, the development of plant growth, and the balance of our environment. 

Meteorologists study the trends and movement of our planet’s winds and waters, and have learned much about the way our world is affected by these elements.  All of us tune in regularly to hear the latest forecast for our area from the weather “experts”.  Though the experts are regularly proved wrong we have come to place a great deal of confidence in them.  Those of us that live in areas regularly affected by hurricanes have come to invest an extraordinary dependence on the experts during the six months of the year we have come to know as “hurricane season”.  Some of us border on Weather Channel addiction. 

Weather is all around us, and the wind and water of our world determine so much in terms of how we live from day to day.  The changes brought by the winds and waters of our world can and do affect our coming and going.  Farmers know the importance of the right balance of wind and water and just how important this balance is to economic survival.  Sailing enthusiasts know how the winds and waters can determine a great outing or day of misery on the boat.  Skiers are keenly aware of just how miserable it can be to get caught ten thousand feet up with the winds howling and the snow blowing.  Skiing in blizzard conditions is not much fun, I can attest to that.  Wind driven snow can turn a vacation into what literally feels like a cold day in hell.  Residents in areas prone to mudslides can tell of the destruction that comes from an over abundance of rain.  The wind and the rain to, indeed, bring significant changes to our climate and our lives.

With so much forecasting of the wind and the rain on the Weather Channel, CNN, and our local news stations we can easily deceive ourselves into thinking that in our modern, technological and “advanced” age, we can manage the affect of these elements upon our lives.  However, what Katrina, the recent wildfires in California, the mudslides in Central America, and the recent earthquake in Asia have demonstrated, the winds, waters, and forces of our world can bring enormous, life-altering change.  This far into the “advancement” of our world, we are still susceptible to the winds of change. 

We would do well to remember the origin of the winds and the waters.  Rather than speaking of “Mother Nature” as do many of the meteorologists, we should consider what the scriptures say of Father God and His direct and personal involvement in the direction of the laws of nature.  From the beginning we see the significance of these most crucial of elements in God’s plan,

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.  …And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let us separate the waters from waters.”  And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse.  …And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” (Genesis 1:1-2,6-7,9)

Early on, from the very beginning actually, water was instrumental in the plan of God.  When the world was “without form” the waters were used to bring form to our world.  Could it be that God still uses the waters and the winds to bring form to our lives?  Could it be that God brings seasons of change into our world and into our lives to birth forth newness of vision, growth, and purpose?  Just as God did with Noah, He still uses the waters to bring forth new beginnings when His plan has gone awry.  Likewise, just as it was with Noah, though everyone around may doubt the sanity of those who embrace the coming storm and even question the reality of it’s existence, God still calls His people to see, embrace and prepare for the rising waters to come.  While God promised never to send a flood that would drown the entire world again, He certainly uses the waters and the winds to bring climate changes in our lives in order that His objectives and dreams for us might be accomplished.  The scriptures and history are replete with examples of God doing just this.  For those that find shelter in Him amidst the wind and the floods, good comes from the storm.  Even in being uprooted, relocated, and displaced, the purposes of God are not thwarted.  In fact, God’s best may be unfolding even as we find ourselves blown away from our present moorings and having been moved away by the winds.  Though we as people are habitually resistant to major change, in allowing God to change our view, we will find He has lifted us to new places, places He has designed for our good.  Remember, He has told us, “I have plans for you!”

Grace and Peace,

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

This entry was posted on 12. August 2008 at 12:06 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.