Dust in the Wind

I woke up this morning to the sound of Wind. In fact, it is still blowing.

It is glorious.

There is something about nature that exemplifies the sovereignty of God. When a storm comes or when the wind blows, I am easily able to see the smallness of my world. I am able to see that what I think I can control, I cannot. And though the prying of control out of my hands can seem difficult and gut-wrenching, I have now come to recognize it as just and beautiful. There is a deep release in my spirit when I finally give up and let God do it. Or in fact, let God be it. Allow Him to be God.

For too long, I have made a shrine of small gods, thinking this will make me feel secure or that will make me feel safe or this will make me feel beautiful or worthy. In all reality, these are all my idols...they are my dust. How silly to make a god of an object made of wood or stone? That object or project or fantasy can in no way love me back. And even humans, though they are magnificent, will also not live up to the standard. At some point, everything will fall short. Everything except for one-- God.

The Wind reminded me of that today. I woke up with a sense of peace, yet turmoil. The turmoil of some things in my world, but the peace of a big God who can blow it all away. I recently can't get enough of the Bible. The words seem to be leaping off the pages straight into my heart. I have a whole new appreciation for the beauty and poetic nature that is written through men inspired by God. I came to Isaiah 57, and this was it. The emotions I was feeling were the same as God felt on these pages. Imagine the God of the Universe, creating the beauty of earth and people who dwell in it with the love of a Father waiting for His creations to come back to Him. In the meantime, all of them are lookin' for love in all the wrong places...

Isaiah 57

¹ Good people pass away;
the godly often die before their time.
But no one seems to care or wonder why.
No one seems to understand
that God is protecting them from the evil to come.
² For those who follow godly paths
will rest in peace when they die.

Idolatrous Worship Condemned

³ “But you—come here, you witches’ children,
you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
⁴ Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!
⁵ You worship your idols with great passion
beneath the oaks and under every green tree.
You sacrifice your children down in the valleys,
among the jagged rocks in the cliffs.
⁶ Your gods are the smooth stones in the valleys.
You worship them with liquid offerings and grain offerings.
They, not I, are your inheritance.
Do you think all this makes me happy?
⁷ You have committed adultery on every high mountain.
There you have worshiped idols
and have been unfaithful to me.
⁸ You have put pagan symbols
on your doorposts and behind your doors.
You have left me
and climbed into bed with these detestable gods.
You have committed yourselves to them.
You love to look at their naked bodies.
⁹ You have given olive oil to Molech^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}
with many gifts of perfume.
You have traveled far,
even into the world of the dead,^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]}
to find new gods to love.
¹⁰ You grew weary in your search,
but you never gave up.
Desire gave you renewed strength,
and you did not grow weary.

¹¹ “Are you afraid of these idols?
Do they terrify you?
Is that why you have lied to me
and forgotten me and my words?
Is it because of my long silence
that you no longer fear me?
¹² Now I will expose your so-called good deeds.
None of them will help you.
¹³ Let’s see if your idols can save you
when you cry to them for help.
Why, a puff of wind can knock them down!
If you just breathe on them, they fall over!
But whoever trusts in me will inherit the land
and possess my holy mountain.”

God Forgives the Repentant

¹⁴ God says, “Rebuild the road!
Clear away the rocks and stones
so my people can return from captivity.”
¹⁵ The high and lofty one who lives in eternity,
the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place
with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.
I restore the crushed spirit of the humble
and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
¹⁶ For I will not fight against you forever;
I will not always be angry.
If I were, all people would pass away—
all the souls I have made.
¹⁷ I was angry,
so I punished these greedy people.
I withdrew from them,
but they kept going on their own stubborn way.
¹⁸ I have seen what they do,
but I will heal them anyway!
I will lead them.
I will comfort those who mourn,
¹⁹ bringing words of praise to their lips.
May they have abundant peace, both near and far,”
says the Lord, who heals them.
²⁰ “But those who still reject me are like the restless sea,
which is never still
but continually churns up mud and dirt.
²¹ There is no peace for the wicked,”
says my God.

And so in the small world of my life, I apologize. I say...Let the Wind Blow...take it all. You can be God. I'll let go... and be swept up all at the same time.

(corresponding song: Dust in the Wind by Kansas)