Dear Ones:
I’m sure that we have all seen how quickly a rising wind can change a tranquil body of water into raging waves, a powerful sea. What would be the effect if the wind of God blew strongly on our little sea, our lives and those around us?
In speaking of the new birth, Jesus spoke of the Spirit’s role. “…that which is born of the Spirit…The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is EVERYONE that is born of the Spirit.” (Jn. 3:6,8) Man, Adam, became a living soul by virtue of the fact that “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) That “breath of life” was/is the Spirit of God. So, the Spirit is essential, not only for creation, but for regeneration, …and for REVIVAL. What about prayer? Does God want us to pray for the moving of the Spirit today? Just because Joel’s prophecy concerning the outpouring of the Spirit “upon all flesh” is so clearly declared, and realized the day of Pentecost, does this mean that we are not to pray for the WIND to blow again, and powerfully, having a demonstrative effect upon our lives, and in those around us?
In the Song of Solomon, we read a prayer: “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.” (4:16) Here is a prayer for the wind to blow in order for there to be a beneficial consequence, the fulfilment of the purpose of the garden, the honoring of its creator, and the blessing of the One who has redeemed it, and the blessing of all in proximity to it. Essential to the blessing of the world is the Wind of the Spirit, and it blowing consistently, and powerfully.
We have mentioned in times past that God ordered Ezekiel to pray (prophesy) concerning the wind. “Then said He to me, ‘Prophesy unto the wind, …thus saith the Lord, …Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.'” (Ez. 37:9) Here is a prophesy and a prayer intermingled. The subject is the “dead” state of Israel. The solution for bringing Israel back to faith, and thus to life, is the Breath of God, the Wind of the Spirit. When the Spirit moved in answer to the prophetical prayer, “…the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (v. 10) There was a tremendous, notable effect.
Jesus prayed for the Spirit. “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever….even the Spirit of truth.” (Jn. 14:16) Please note that the disciples had already a certain experience of the Spirit, but that which Christ was speaking of could not be grasped by the disciples, with regard to the magnitude of the blessing. This Wind for which He prayed would change the world.
Paul would pray for the Spirit. “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Eph. 1:17) Here we have the Ephesians who have been born of the Spirit, thus having the Spirit of God. But that which is potentially true of His ministry in them is so small. They need the Spirit in a greater way, a more specific way…and the effects of that Wind will be enormous. Paul prays again for the Spirit in chapter 3, “…that He (the Father) would grant you to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” (3:16-17) The believer has Christ in the heart…but how much of His life fills the heart? We have “ALL” in Christ, but how much of Christ do we have where we live, and that, today?
When the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, the effect of the “Wind” was considerable upon all who were there at the time, both believers and non-believers. Will we pray today for the Wind to blow again upon us, and do the “exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think?” Remember that the precedent has been established, we need to pray for the moving, the working of the Spirit, and this in no small measure…TODAY….for the glory of God, and the blessing of others.
Love, Dad