Not All Storms Are Bad

One of my favourite lines in one of my favourite songs (and I have many...) is 'Spirit breathe, like the wind, come have your way."  It's a line full of release, power, peace. It's something I frequently pray and sing, and have done for many years during pressing times. The year 2017, was one of those pressing times - deeply personal and demanding. It took strength, grit, and daily determination to push through, and my conviction is what kept me grounded.

I remember standing in church, worshipping one Sunday, prophesying this line over feelings, emotions and situations when the Holy Spirit gave me a picture that wasn't static but living and in motion. I was stood in a wheat field that was bordered by weathered trees. As I looked down and across the ground, I  could see soil, stones and bigger rocks. Amongst it all there were chaffs of wheat no longer standing upright but now laying on the floor. There were seeds of wheat and crops scattered everywhere. The sky was grey and there was a light wind. I was very aware that I was stood in the aftermath of a storm. In that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, and I knew it was a life long lesson - "Steph, as a storm finishes, the debris falls and the wheat and seeds become mixed in amongst the mess. Allow my Spirit to sift through the debris, the mess, the aftermath of the storm. Allow the wind to blow and separate the wheat, seeds and crops from the chaos and debris. Like the wind, let Me have My way."

I had heard from Heaven and I knew that my priority over the next however long would be asking the Lord for more and waiting for clarity. It wasn't long before it started to make sense. There were things in my life that were needing to fall, not because of failure but refinement. The Holy Spirit needed to sift. He was needing to clear my field for what was next. I'd got too stuck in routine and activity to notice the gentle nudges of the Lord. It had taken a storm to get my attention. It's no secret that once a storm passes, the field looks nothing like it did before. Things are tangled, mixed together, what was once upright now lies upon the floor. And in this moment, it can be difficult to see what is fruit and what's fallout. As leaders, we can often rush to fix, rebuild, and restore - but what if the storm itself was meant to refine and to bring about an opportunity to discern? "Spirit breathe, like the wind, come have your way..." In the Bible, 'wind' isn't seen to be comfortable. We read many stories where the wind would bring about a revealing - a revealing of lack of faith, positioning of heart, fear and doubt? However, isn't that also purposeful? A sifting and a dealing with all these things is necessary in playing our part in Kingdom Come. Gather the wheat, the crops, the seed and keep sowing, but alongside it all, allow the Holy Spirit to remove what needs to go - the same wind that separates also prepares. 

So, don't fear the storm. Welcome it. Trust the process and don't rush it. Remain focused, discerning in heart and allow the Holy Spirit to sift. Let's not mistake the mess for the end. This may just be the beginning of something way more rooted, fruitful and more led by the Spirit than anything we've built before. 

Not all storms are bad. 

Steph Mansfield