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Thank You for the stillness, for it
taught us to wait for You;
And for the wind that made us realise that when You blow, and as we
release, we can soar!
Not too long ago I went kite-a-flyin' with my friends. I came
home that night and penned these words, which are part of a prayer of
thanksgiving. As I look at the experience of kite-flying, I find a
vivid illustration of faith and futility.
When we got to the field the air was still. In an effort to get my
kite airborne, I took it and ran all over the field. Sometimes it
went up a little. Sometimes a breeze would blow the kite in the
direction I was running instead of against it. When I stopped
running, the kite fell back to the earth, and I was left breathless and
exhausted. And I had to wind up my string all over again.
After a long wait, A friend's kite caught the wind. And how it
soared! Soon she was asking for more string, and marvelling at how
effortless it was to fly a kite.
The Christian life is much like this. Often we find ourselves
running about trying to get things right, particularly in the area of
ministry. We come up with a great idea. We cannot wait to see
it take off, and so we pour all our energies into it. But strangely
it does not take off. There are hardly any results, and we are left
disappointed and tired. And we have to pick up the pieces and start
again. Our impatience has gotten the better of us. God gave us
an idea, and we have taken it into our own hands. Instead of waiting
for Him to move, we run ahead of Him. Instead of relying on Him, we
depend on ourselves. No wonder our efforts come to nothing.
We must wait for God, and learn to depend on Him alone.
Waiting may be the most difficult thing to do, but running ahead of God is
far worse. Let God work in His own time. Depend on Him.
It is the wind, and not us, that holds the kite up. It is God - not
us - who initiates and sustains His work. Let us wait for
Him, that we may wait upon Him. And let us be patient and
ready for His wind.
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