My Morning with God- Ex 14:16

This past Sunday, I was in service at Refiners fire Ministry in Huntsville Alabama. Pastor LeAndre Bumpus(he is the son of Pastor Leslie Eno) taught us about the four Winds entitled Harness the Winds. As you know, I often gain inspiration for devotionals from messages that I hear I dig into the scripture while in prayer and I gain Inspiration, this is one of those . I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed studying it.

The Four Winds of God

When God Begins to Blow

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind…” — Exodus 14:21 KJV

There are seasons in our lives when it feels as though nothing is moving.

The door hasn’t opened. The situation hasn’t changed. The answer hasn’t come. We have prayed, waited, believed, and wondered, “God, what are You doing?”

But just because you cannot see movement does not mean God is not moving.

Sometimes, God sends a wind.

Throughout Scripture, wind often represents movement, change, power, and the activity of God. And as I began looking at the winds mentioned in Scripture, something stood out to me: different winds accomplished different things.

There was an East Wind.

There was a West Wind.

And there were the North and South Winds.

Maybe the question for this season isn’t simply, “God, when are You going to move?”

Maybe the question is:

“Lord, which wind are You sending into my life?”

THE EAST WIND — THE WIND THAT MAKES A WAY

In Exodus 14, the children of Israel found themselves trapped.

Pharaoh’s army was behind them.

The Red Sea was in front of them.

There appeared to be nowhere to go.

But Exodus 14:21 says:

“…the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”

Notice something important.

God didn’t remove the sea. He made a way through it.

The obstacle that looked impossible became the pathway to their deliverance.

Some of us are asking God to remove something when God is saying, “I’m going to take you through it.”

The East Wind reminds us that God can create a road where there was no road.

He can open a door nobody can shut.

He can make provision appear where there seemed to be none.

And don’t miss these words:

“…all that night.”

While Israel waited, the wind was working.

While they couldn’t see what God was doing in the darkness, God was preparing their morning passage.

Never assume God is inactive because you cannot see what He is doing.

The wind may already be blowing.

THE WEST WIND — THE WIND THAT CARRIES THINGS AWAY

Then we come to Exodus 10:19.

Egypt had been overwhelmed by locusts. They covered the land and consumed what remained after the hail.

But Scripture says:

“And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts…”

I love this.

Because sometimes God doesn’t need you to fight what has invaded your life.

Sometimes He sends a wind to carry it away.

I call the West Wind the heavy-lifting wind.

There are things we exhaust ourselves trying to fix, remove, change, control, or carry.

And God says:

“Give that to Me.”

The West Wind represents the ability of God to remove what has overstayed its season.

Wrong relationships.

Old mindsets.

Unhealthy attachments.

Fear.

Distractions.

Habits.

Burdens we were never supposed to carry forever.

There are some things you don’t need another strategy for.

You need God’s wind.

And when God decides something must leave, He is fully capable of carrying away what you could never remove by your own strength.

THE NORTH AND SOUTH WINDS — THE WINDS THAT AWAKEN WHAT IS WITHIN

Then Song of Solomon 4:16 gives us another beautiful picture:

“Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out…”

Now the wind isn’t dividing a sea.

It isn’t carrying away locusts.

It is blowing upon a garden.

Something has already been planted there.

Something has already been growing there.

There is already fragrance within the garden—but the wind causes what is inside to be released.

That speaks to me.

Because there are seasons when God isn’t trying to give you something new.

He’s awakening what He already placed inside of you.

Your gift.

Your purpose.

Your wisdom.

Your testimony.

Your compassion.

Your leadership.

Your creativity.

Your ministry.

Your calling.

Sometimes life can make those things dormant. Disappointment can silence them. Fear can bury them. Routine can cause us to forget they are even there.

But then God allows the wind to blow.

And suddenly, what was hidden begins to release its fragrance.

“Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out.”

Lord, breathe upon what You planted in me.

Awaken what has been sleeping.

Develop what has been immature.

Release what has been restrained.

Let my life produce the fragrance You intended when You planted the garden.

DON’T CURSE THE WIND

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Not every wind comes to destroy you.

Some winds come to open.

Some winds come to remove.

And some winds come to awaken.

The East Wind says:

I’m making a way.

The West Wind says:

I’m carrying some things away.

The North and South Winds say:

I’m stirring the garden so what God planted can flourish and release its fragrance.

So perhaps we shouldn’t spend every windy season asking God to make the wind stop.

Maybe our prayer should become:

“Lord, show me what this wind is accomplishing.”

Because the same God who controls the wind knows exactly which wind your season requires.

If you need a pathway, He can send the East Wind.

If something needs to leave, He can send the West Wind.

And if what God placed inside you needs to awaken and flourish, He can command the North and South Winds to blow upon your garden.

NURSE NAVIGATOR’S NOTE

As a nurse, I understand the importance of movement.

Movement brings circulation. Movement carries oxygen and nutrients where they are needed. Stagnation can create problems, but healthy movement supports life.

Spiritually, there are times when God refuses to allow us to remain stagnant.

He permits movement.

He shifts environments.

He opens pathways.

He removes obstacles.

He awakens gifts.

And although the wind may feel uncomfortable while it is blowing, the movement may be part of the healing.

Don’t only pay attention to how strong the wind feels.

Pay attention to what God is moving.

PRAYER

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for being Lord over every season of my life.

When I face an impossible situation, send the wind that makes a way.

When something has completed its assignment in my life, send the wind that carries it away.

And when the gifts, dreams, purpose, and calling You planted within me have become dormant, breathe upon my garden again.

Give me discernment not to rebuke what You are using to reposition me.

Help me recognize Your hand even when I cannot understand the wind.

Let everything You planted within me grow, flourish, and release a fragrance that brings glory to You. finally, as always, I asked that you created me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

Lord, let Your wind blow.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Reflection

What is the wind of God doing in your life right now—is He opening something, removing something, or awakening something?

Don’t be afraid of the wind.

God may be using the very thing that is shaking your surroundings to change your direction.