Week Forty-Two - Ready for the Breeze

Beside the Well

            I came to my Bible reading today and began to wonder, “Why am I reading?”  Am I here only to meet the goal of reading through my Bible again?  I have read it through year by year for several years.  Today, it seemed like a habit. I know I still find things that rejoice my heart, challenge my thoughts, and convict my soul. 

            Why am I reading?  Because every read is an exploration, a digging for nuggets, a practice in consistency, and because this is God speaking to me.  So—back to Ezekiel.

            Read my chapters.  No big sparks there.  Read Burroughs on the Beatitudes.  Interesting as he wrote on why Christians are persecuted in this world.  Okay.  Then, picked up my Spurgeon devotional and, oh, my!

            Ready for the Breeze.  “If I cannot pray, let me read a chapter.  It may be that while I hear God speak to me I shall learn how to speak to Him.  If in my private reading I feel no unction upon the word, let me go forth and attend the meeting of the saints; perhaps God intends to bless me by ear, or in company with others.  If this fails, let me go and visit the sick, or perform some deed of charity.  Perhaps in helping others I may find succor for my own soul!  God has often saved a man from freezing by setting him to rub a brother into warmth and life.  If all this shall not have succeeded let me hold converse with some choice servant of God; and if this should fail me, let me go to my knees again, or begin to sing a psalm, or tell to others what I have experienced of God’s love in time past…Come then, brother, tack about.  Complain not of the want of heavenly wind, rather complain of want of consecrated energy.”

            Now my heart is encouraged.  God spoke—“hang in there, Gail.  Keep your sail pointed toward the breeze, where it comes is not the matter; that it comes make all the difference.”  God speaks in many ways.  He definitely prepared my heart to receive this message!

            So, if you find your Bible reading going flat, read anyway.  But don’t stop there, look to find the wind of the Spirit and set your sail with consecrated energy.