I don't know what it was, but being there, riding together with a group of people, on a beautiful day, across the wide open Kansas spaces, watching the road roll out before me and the land unfold all around, taking in all of the scents of early Fall (sunflower fields, headed out milo, harvested corn, freshly tilled soil, blossoming alfalfa, and newly swathed hayfields), and hearing the roar of the wind in my ears... it just opened my soul. And, with each additional mile I prayed a prayer that felt like an involuntary response of my heart saying, "I'm listening Lord, speak to me please..."
Once we arrived at our destination, we parked our bikes and climbed to the top of the sandstone WPA castle at the crest of the hill. From the top of the castle we spent a few minutes talking about our ride and what all we noticed and experienced along the way. Then we spent some time "taking in" what is undoubtedly one of the best views in the state of Kansas. It is a view that is indeed picturesque, to say the least.
During our last 20 minutes on the hill, we all took some individual alone time to observe our surroundings, think about our lives, about what we really needed, and about what God might be saying to us at that particular moment. As we all met back at our bikes, getting ready to head out, one of the things that a couple of us discussed that we had noticed were the vultures that were "riding the wind" all around the summit of the hill.
For me, the really cool thing was that not only had we each noticed the vultures, but that we had also received the same "word from the Lord." Which was... "Don't fight the wind... ride it. Ride the wind like they do." For me, the moment that word came to my heart, it found instant application. And, as soon as I received it, I whispered a prayer and said "Bring the wind Lord, whatever it is, I'll ride it. I'm so sorry for all of my resistance and for all of the ways I have fought for control of my life and of the winds I encounter every day. Bring the wind Lord, Bring it, I want to fly like they do."
So... How you doin'? How has the wind impacted your life to date? What if now, right now, may just be a great time to begin to realize that the Christian life is actually a lot less about fighting the wind, resisting it, hunkering down and hiding from it, and a lot more about jumping up, lifting off, taking flight, and allowing the winds of life, that we never have been able to control or stop anyway, to be the very thing that helps us become who and what we were actually created to be in the first place? What if that which we have previously feared and fiercely resisted is in God's reality the very thing that we most need in order to become who and what we have always wanted and dreamed of becoming?
I don't know about you, but for me it's time to pray "Bring the wind Lord, and give me the faith to ride it..." as I keep on keepin' on in Jesus through it all.
Isaiah 40:31
-Pastor Rob
By the way... John, the guy on the right-hand side of this picture, said a prayer of faith and became a brother in Christ right before we headed back down the hill last Sunday afternoon! What a truly awesome day!
