Many of you know that I sometimes spend the night in my travel trailer up in Amarillo. Last night, as the wind gusted to near 70 mph, I laid awake praying, “Lord, please keep me parked in the same spot I’ve paid for, I don’t care to pay for another one.” As always, my prayers were answered.
I’ll admit that my faith got week a few times. I was certain I would need ruby slippers to get back home once the sun rose. At the least, I was expecting to find my sewer hose blowing across the park and contaminating the neighbor’s RV space. At one point, I thought about going outside and checking on it. Then I realized if it were loose I would never catch it. It would be like chasing the wind.
“Chasing the wind” is mentioned 5 times in chapters 1&2 of Ecclesiastes. Solomon, who in all his wisdom at the end of his life, begins the book by telling us life is meaningless. Well that was the news I wanted to start my day with! Meaningless – vanity, transitory, empty and fleeting. He has tried it all. Excuses… that make us blush. Good enterprises… that went awry. Education… as the “Renaissance Man” he was. Yet, he writes, “Meaningless, meaningless…” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
But back to “Chasing the wind”, all five of them:
I can imagine one of our granddaughters outside, chasing a leaf blown in the wind, to no avail. Or even me chasing the sewer hose. No, the granddaughter and the leaf is a prettier picture. Either way, to no avail. Trying to catch the wind is ultimate futility.
You can’t catch the wind. It will drive you crazy trying. Like the silent movie, Lillian Gish’s “The Wind”. The unyielding wind of the Texas prairie drives her literally insane. Images of her tiny body facing into the unrelenting wind, trying to keep the intrusive dust out of her log house, are ones I’ll never forget.
Eventhough I was concerned about being in an RV last night, I was sheltered. Like knowing Jesus, who keeps us safe and secure. Tunneling near to the heart of God… finding shelter from life’s windy blasts… Without the stability of God’s love anchoring us to safety and shelter, life would be little more than meaningless “chasing after the wind.”
Jesus gives us the wind of the Holy Spirit. He’s a gentle breeze that feels good and clean. The Holy Spirit is the dependable reason for whatever season we find ourselves in. Comfort and council, all from God’s Holy Spirit, make for certain riches to our daily grind. Even old Solomon would say “amen” to that!
Friday Night Dinner Ride 3-24-17 We’ll skip the windy ride and meet at Rib Crib at 6:30pm for fellowship and great food. Don’t miss it!
Find safe lodging in Him!
Tony
