When God Breathes

One of my favorite concepts in all of scripture is that the Holy Spirit is the very breath of God.  With a mere breath he brought life to a ball of dust, then named it Adam.  With a simple breath he assured Elijah that he was present.  With a breath he began a movement of people that we would end up calling the church.  And over the past couple of weeks his breath has been a bit too much for us to handle. 

The news is startling.  The faces of homeowners say it best.  The devastation they feel cannot be put into words.  The tornados that have ripped through this country over the past couple of weeks have contained in them the power that only God could allow, or potentially even cause. But why?  Why would this happen?  Why would our God, loving and all that, allow this vast devstation and death to occur on his watch? 

I struggled a bit with this question as I anxiously awaited to hear from a friend of mine who was in the path of these storms in Alabama.  But then something hit me.  Perhaps God was breathing on us a bit.  Perhaps God was using his breath, sometimes gently and sometimes a bit more powerfully, to show us that he still contains the power of wind, wave, earth, and all things.  Perhaps God has a great plan for this devastation.  Perhaps God has noticed that as a church we've become increasingly comfortable with the things around us so he's giving us something to react to.  Perhaps God has a desire for his movement of people (aka the church) to start moving again. 

I know that none of this sentiment will help rebuild homes.  I know none of it will restore power or house displaced families.  It won't raise the dead or bring healing to the hurting.  But there is something that we can do in response to this breath of God that just might change the entire outlook in the long term. 

You see it wasn't until God breathed into Adam that he woke up and began to live a life of faith and service toward God.  So now that we've seen, and some of us experienced, the breath of God the past couple weeks perhaps we will be able to mobilize.  I believe that the church is only the church when it's moving, serving, loving, doing, walking, talking, living the message of God's undeserved goodness.  Today I challenge you to start moving.  I challenge you to respond to the breath of God and come alive with his power and his love and start serving.  Maybe your service will take you to the hardest hit areas to serve and rebuild.  Maybe your service will keep you closer to your home to serve and care for your neighbors and friends.

No matter where you go just go.  No matter who you serve - just serve.  No matter who you talk to - just talk.  No matter who you love - just love the way God calls us to love - with hands and hearts and lives.

Lord protect those without homes today.  Provide shelter for them.  Encourage them.  Show them that you are ever present.  Move your church into great acts of service as these thousands of people attempt to put their lives together again.  God don't let us sit.  Remind us of the wonders of your breath.  Amen.