Chasing Wind
Learn to live for the One who lasts forever, our God, who is eternal. All other things will pass away and are like chasing the wind.
“Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Is this the way you repay the Lord, you foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you? Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, they became heavy and sleek. They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth... They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Deuteronomy 32:1-4, 6-7, 12, 15-16, 18, 36, 39, 43-44, 47
Moses sings this song over the people so that they will find the way to life. He says I will proclaim the name of the Lord and calls God the Rock. What does that name mean and how can it inform our relationship with Him? How can it change how we live? We live in a world with lots of nicknames. In fact, there is a very famous actor and wrestler, Dwayne Johnson, named the Rock. He is celebrated and famous. The truth is Dwayne Johnson, like all of us, will some day be forgotten and his fame will fade. When Moses sings of God as the Rock, he is declaring that God is eternal.
How does knowing God as the Rock help us? Rocks give shade, protect from enemies, were used to protect, and most importantly were the bedrock upon which one would build their dwelling. God wants to be the bedrock of our lives. Jesus said that He was the cornerstone, the foundation. Moses says that God is faithful. He is the one who never fails and the One you can trust to build your life on.
God calls out the false rocks. The things in life that will fade. He says don't look to foreign gods, focus on the food that passes through you, or the famous idols of your time. Those things lead you away from having heart that is faithful. Cody Carnes has famously song "Firm Foundation" and the lyrics include the line that He is the Rock on which I stand. We all need a foundation. We need to have a place secure so that when the rains come and the storms hit, we have a foundation where we can stand firm. The bible says the foundation is not a place but the person of Jesus who came that we might have a firm foundation for our lives. How strong is your foundation? How could you firm up your relationship with God?
“Say to me, "I am your salvation.” Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. Lord...Do not be far from me, Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord. My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.”
Psalms 35:3, 9-10, 12-13, 15, 18, 22-23, 28
David knows there is only one thing that will get him through any hard times or difficult trials. He does not put his trust in his own strength, in his army, in his position of power, or in his possessions. His trust is in God alone. When he says the only thing I need is for God to say I am your salvation, he is saying this because he knows that God's word is eternal. It can never be broken. He never fails.
We live in a world where people say a lot of things, but don't always do what they say. We live in a world where it is hard to trust because we have experienced lies, deceit, and betrayal. The truth is we have all done those things to others so part of our distrust comes from knowing our own hearts. David says don't trust in people who pass away or promises that can be broken. Trust in the God who upholds every promise and is the only One worthy of your trust. Where could you shift trust that you have been placing in others to trusting in the promises of God? What promise of God from scripture could you pray over your life? How could that help you lift up a song of praise during times you feel pressure?
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."
Ecclesiastes 1:2-4, 7, 9, 11, 13-15, 18
Solomon shares some of the most insightful wisdom he has learned in the book of Ecclesiastes. He pursued wealth, wisdom, and the wants of the world. What did he find? Nothing of this world is lasting. The word meaningless is poorly translated in English. It is better understood as vapor or without substance. Solomon is saying that everything that we can see with our eyes will pass away. Nothing on this planet is truly a rock or a foundation. Nothing will last everything that you see.
How does this change how we approach life? If someone asked you what you desire most, what would you say? Do you desire the things of this world? Things that will fade? What comes of all your work? Money? More stuff? All these things are temporary and do not last. Solomon is saying that he has found that spending his life pursuing things that fade only leave him feeling empty. He feels like he is chasing after the wind. Can you relate? How much joy, peace, or meaning do you get from what you have? Is it not the love you create with the people you love and the God who loves you that matters most? How could we take this learning to reorient how we spend our time and where we find purpose?
“Their mother has been unfaithful and has conceived them in disgrace. She said, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink.’ She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now...In that day,” declares the Lord, “you will call me ‘my husband’; you will no longer call me ‘my master.’ I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips; no longer will their names be invoked. I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord."
Hosea 2:5, 7-8, 10, 14, 16-17, 19-20, 23
Hosea is a fascinating chapter because God tells him to choose to marry someone who will be unfaithful. Can you imagine this approach? Can you imagine intentionally choosing to be with someone who will not stay true to you? We all have had times where we fall short of the glory of God so we should not judge the unfaithful spouse, but would we choose to pursue relationship if we knew the pain we would endure?
The more important question to ponder is what this teaches us about the God who is always faithful, always loving, always just and right. What does this tell us about the heart of the Father and why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to us? Is it not amazing that God knew and knows we have been and will at times be unfaithful, and yet He still chooses us? What kind of love is that? It is unconditional love. It is the love of a parent to a child. A love that loves because at the very core God is love and His love is not dependent on our response but is who He is. The very name of God is perfect love. Moses says to proclaim His name. How can the perfect love produce a heart of praise? Will you let the unconditional love of God lift you up today?
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."
1 Thessalonians 4:1, 3-5, 7, 11, 16-17
Do you ever wonder how? How do we do what we are taught to do? How do we please God? How can we live a life that honors the Rock? Paul says that best thing you can do in response to the God who is holy is to live a holy life. The best response to a God who is faithful is to be faithful. He does not say live a perfect life and never sin. Paul called himself the biggest sinner and he is not casting stones or throwing rocks. He says build your life on the Rock and let your life reflect the strength you have drawn from the Savior. We are not meant to be fearful or anxious, tossed by the storms of life. We are meant to stand firm because we have a Savior who is present, with us, for us, and on whose foundation we can stand.
Paul says there are things that will trip you up. Just like Moses said there are idols, foreign gods, temptations and traps of the world; Paul is saying that sexual immorality or the temporary desires of the flesh can get in the way of living a life for the Eternal Father. This is why God teaches us the principles of fasting and sacrifice. One of the best spiritual practices we have is fasting. Telling the temporary desires of the flesh to be quiet so that we can gain the spiritual blessing that God gives in those moments. How can you practice fasting?
Would you be willing to fast a meal, fast time on social media, or fast whatever you most commonly desire so that you can draw closer to Jesus? What is the one thing you do most? How can you practice a Sabbath from that thing so that you can experience more of the presence of the Holy Spirit? Each time you fast you are firming up the foundation of your faith and declaring that you would rather have more of the God who is always faithful than the fleeting pursuits of the flesh.
Let us learn hear the words of the Father, our Rock and Redeemer, and learn from the wisdom of Solomon. Choose to pursue the holiness of Jesus Christ and stop chasing the wind of this world. As martyred missionary Jim Eliot said, "He is no fool to give up what you cannot keep, to gain what you cannot lose."