Our church is studying the 22 passages within Psalm 119. They are the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. And in Hebrew, each line starts with the same letter. Try that in English. One of the examples used a few weeks ago was concerning the Ecosphere. This was an experiment several years ago where four couples lived in a man-made Ecosphere environment. Among many other things, they grew their own food and cohabitated. They planted trees, and they grew rapidly, but when they got fairly tall, they each fell to the ground. Their research found that there was an absence of wind in their manmade environment.
This is where it gets interesting. In God’s true creation, the wind presses into young trees, and as they are leaning, their roots are expanding deep and wide to develop a strong root system. Did you know that? I found it amazing. God leaves nothing to chance.
Think of your small children. Many parents hover over their children to make sure that nothing bad happens to them. This is called helicopter parenting. But the truth is, you’ve got to let them experience life, like falling and skinning their knees, even worse, playing tough sports, persecution from friends, and so much more. You can’t believe how many injuries, some major, that I had growing up as a child. You don’t want it for your child, and you don’t go out of your way to make sure it happens, but you don’t have to. Life will bring those things to them, and those children will grow from those experiences. Thus, deep, strong roots!
Because you will be there for them. You’ll pick them up, get them back in the game, tend their skinned knees, get the best medical care, and whatever else it takes. In fact, you both will grow from it. Which brings me to us, adults in Christ. Pause for a minute and think where the strong winds are blowing in your life, maybe even to the point of bending you to your knees. Since Jesus is the Great Physician, and knows exactly what you need in every situation, he will parent you back to wholeness. But the winds, the storms in our lives, are necessary. We get too content and wayward when everything is going our way. The truth is, we don’t grow on the mountain tops. We grow in the valley.
I simply love this truth. “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen” I Peter 5,10,11. Do you see this? After suffering for a little while, the God of all grace will himself, do what? Restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you. What else would you need after you’ve suffered from the wind, the storms, that have blown through your life?
How does he do this? Through your and others’ prayers, trusting his word, his promises, waiting, yielding to his Holy Spirit. When Jesus said he would never leave us nor forsake us, this is what he was talking about. Blow wind blow!