There is no negligence in the wind.

What happens when you hear God’s still, small voice, but you have no idea what it means? As I mentioned in my previous entry, I have been reading Contact: The Practical Science of Hearing from God, by Dr. David Stine. It just so happens I began reading the next section of this book when I heard some perplexing words from the Lord. What does Dr. Stine believe is the best way to interpret God’s sometimes confusing words? To seek counsel, of course. In his book, Dr. Stine states, “One of the primary roles of counsel is to test what we believe we have heard from God to see if it resonates with others.” In Proverbs 12:15 it is stated:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but he who heeds counsel is wise.

About a week ago, as I was practicing Centering Prayer before bed, I heard the words, “There is no negligence in the wind.”

What…

I immediately wrote down these words because I knew they were from God, and wanted to investigate them further. I tried picking apart the words. I had to look up the definition of “negligence” because I didn’t understand how it applied in this sentence. (I actually thought I misheard this word because I had been watching too much Making a Murderer.) I wrote and rewrote these words. I tried googling to see if this sentence had been mentioned anywhere before. Nothing (except for some lawsuits concerning strong wind). I was stumped.

Through Red Rocks Church, there is the opportunity to join small groups, called Life Groups (LG). About a week before Christmas, when I was in the habit of changing all my lifestyle choices, I decided it was time to join a LG. In LG we discuss the sermon spoken that week, have the opportunity to discuss whatever is on our mind, ask for prayer requests, etc. In our last meeting, my LG Leader, Jeff, asked if anyone had anything on their hearts they wanted to share. I knew it was time to get down to the bottom of this mysterious statement from God.

Honestly, I was a bit nervous asking what my LG thought. I mean what if no one could relate to these words and they were just made up in my mind? Luckily, very quickly it was apparent these words were placed into my mind by the Creator, for a reason.

Not too long after I stated the words, Jeff spoke up to voice his thoughts. He started by noting that often times the wind can be used as a metaphor for God. The wind goes everywhere and anywhere it pleases. The wind cannot be “negligent” because it does not choose where to go. (Google definition: Negligence = failure to take proper care in doing something.) It does not choose to go to one place, but not to another. This can be similar to the way we perceive God. God is everywhere, all the time. He does not simply choose where He will show up; for He is omnipresent.

Another member in the group, Rachel, elaborated on this idea with an awesome example. She had us imagine a really windy day and you are trying to hide behind a wall to get away from the wind. No matter how well you are covered, you can still feel the wind, even if it is just a chilling breeze. This is how God works. There can be times in your life when God is very present and you feel His presence all around you. And there can be other times when God is more silent; but this doesn’t mean He isn’t there.

Jeff added another example in describing “doldrums” in the ocean. For sailboats, these areas of calm wind can leave them stranded for days or weeks. Just as Rachel described, there are times when God fills our sails with wind, and times when He is calm and quiet. It is important to note that in these times when He is quiet, He is working. God is simply giving you enough time to adjust the direction of your sails before He fills them with wind again.

As the members of my LG were talking, I couldn’t help but have a wide grin on my face the whole time. First, I was shocked that anyone could even resonate with the gibberish that I asked them to translate. And second, I couldn’t believe how directly the words and examples they used related to my life.

I would say I am sitting in a doldrum right now. I am living at my parents’, without a solid job, waiting to hear back if I will go to graduate school in the fall. It is in this time that God is silent, but I know for certain He is at work. He is just waiting for my sails to be pointed in the right direction before sending me on my way.

I am extremely thankful for these “counselors” that God placed so perfectly into my life. It is so obvious from the past few weeks that without them, I would never have had these precious moments with God. Find these supportive and empowering entities in your life. Sit back, and watch how God can speak the strongest through them.

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–maddy.