One sad morning in 2018 I was forced to say goodbye to a faithful friend who had served me well over the years. It was my fan “Euroclydon” named after the violent wind in Acts 27:14.
You can tell by looking at him he’d seen better days (and needed a good cleaning). I’d been having trouble getting him started for a while, but he’d always get started.
Then one day he just died….
I quickly replaced him with “mighty rushing wind” (and no I’m not a charismatic) but the hours between that morning and when the new fan got home were miserable.
In a tropical climate you do have a sea breeze, so life is bearable without a fan. Yet because I was used to having one on constantly (and I mean constantly, the only time a fan is off if I’m in the house is MAYBE the early hours of the morning). The lack of cool breeze was absolutely unbearable.
I once shared a post saying “the most beautiful sound in the world is the sound of a fan clicking back on after a power outage” and many of my missionary friends agreed!
I am struck by how important the fan was to me, but that wasn’t clear until it had been removed. This is much like the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
God through the Holy Spirit works in the background of our lives leading, directing, illuminating truths from Scripture, and strengthening. If we wander from the Lord, He in love will withdraw the power of the Spirit. We can never lose the indwelling of the Spirit as Christians of course, but we can lose the “filling” or “control, and closeness” of the Holy Spirit.
Just like I missed my fan when it was gone, we are bound to miss the Holy Spirits help when He is far from us. And just like “mighty rushing wind” brought me great joy, the restoration of the Spirit will bring worship.
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