It was a beautiful spring afternoon, blue blue skies with not a cloud to be seen, and a peaceful calm in the air. We were outside on my friend’s deck, finalizing some plans for an event at our parish. Our pastor had reluctantly given us permission, but wasn’t inclined to be at all involved. We were grateful for his consent, and recognized the stress he was under, as he hadn’t been very supportive of any new initiatives in the parish. Retirement for him had been postponed for another year, and he was really ready to be freed from administrative responsibilities.
As we were ending our meeting with prayer, we shifted from prayer for the specifics of the event to prayer from our hearts for our pastor. The Lord put it on our hearts to really ask God to bless him, to bring peace to his heart and rest to his spirit. It might have been easier to ask God to change his attitudes, or point out areas where we thought he needed correction, but God’s grace shifted our intentions to really seek His love and mercy for him – to hear and ask God’s intentions for him. We were united in this prayer, as we all prayed in one accord for God’s desires for him.
As we were closing in prayer, a sudden rush of wind struck the sheets hanging on the clothesline, creating a loud flapping sound! The leaves scattered on the ground were caught up in a swirl of wind and danced wildly around our feet. We felt the strength of the wind, and heard its power as it rushed through our little group, and then just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. My friend’s husband had been working down in the garden a little way away from us – he came up the hill to where we were, asking, “What was that!”
What came to us as we sought to understand what we had just experienced was God’s pleasure with our little group, in our unity and love expressed in our prayers for our pastor. He sent His Spirit as an exclamation point to get our full attention for His approval of our Unity and heartfelt prayers for one of His shepherds.
The Holy Spirit is indeed the Spirit of Unity, and Power! I can’t help but think of His appearance at Pentecost as a mighty wind! “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2) God often speaks to us through His Creation, sometimes with a shaft of light breaking through a bank of clouds at just the right moment, a thunderclap to highlight a word spoken, or a mighty wind to affirm His pleasure. As we become more and more aware of His presence in every circumstance, these unexpected signs are God’s gifts to communicate His personal stamp on whatever we’re about. None of us gathered together that day will ever forget the rush of wind we experienced, with the reminder of God’s desire for us to be people of unity and blessing for others.
Thank You Lord, God of all Creation, Who speaks to us in so many varied ways. Grant us the grace to be attentive to Your Presence, to marvel and
respond to the many ways You communicate Your desires. Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with Your Love!
Spiritual Sun Pennies 