December 1, 2009 – Night Wind
Scripture: Jeremiah 51: 15-16 (NJB)
By His power He made the earth, by His wisdom set the world firm, by His discernment spread out the heavens. When He thunders there is a roaring of waters in heaven; He raises clouds from the furthest limits of the earth, makes the lightning flash for the downpour, and brings the wind from His storehouse.
Devotion:
Having spent a good part of my life in Florida, I respect the power of wind. Hurricanes are a fact of life if you live in Florida. And the message they bring is usually one of destruction. I found it interesting when I was looking at “wind” in the Bible that most of the time when “wind” is mentioned, it is associated with destruction, especially if it is an east wind. I guess the Israelites were much like Floridians, looking to see what the weather was like to the east and fearing the worst.
But Jeremiah tells us something of God’s greatness and power with the images of rain, lightning,and wind. Likewise, the night wind in our song tells us something. Maybe it was an east wind that caused the lamb (and maybe a shepherd) to turn its gaze in the direction to see if a storm was coming and causing it to look eastward toward the star.
I believe that God uses unexpected messengers to get us to change the direction of our gaze; sometimes to cause us to change the direction of our lives. That’s what repentance is all about – changing our direction, changing our minds. But we are not at the whim of the wind. Just like the shepherds we can look past the wind and see the star, shining brightly, beckoning us toward a meeting with the One who released the wind from His storehouse, the One seeking to get our attention. Instead of preparing for destruction, we can prepare for restoration.
Maker of Heaven and Earth, Lord of Earth, Wind and Sky, let me feel Your breath, the Wind of Your Spirit; Cause me to turn my gaze toward You. I turn in awe of Your power and might, and ask that You shine Your light to lead me on paths of righteousness. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen.