Prayer For A Fresh Wind From God's Spirit During Smoky Times

SMOKE

Anyone who lives up and down the West Coast of North America has been experiencing heavy smoke for days.  On a normal day I can see miles up and down the river from ocean in White Rock to the shoreline in Pitt Meadows.  These days I often can’t even see the river 6 or 7 blocks away.  

On top of the smoke from the massive wild fires in California, Oregon, and Washington State, we had our own huge fire just a few blocks from where I live when the pier down by the Fraser River caught on fire earlier this week.  I heard about the news but really didn’t see how massive the fire was until some pictures began to surface as the light came up the next morning.  Then for several days we were told stay away from the area and to keep our windows closed because the fumes were toxic from the substance used to treat the wood in all the support pillars that were still burning.  For several days we’ve had the worst or second worst air quality in the world.

Little by little the smoke seems to be lifting and we have the promise of some rain and relief in these next days.  However, these days when the air quality has been the worst on the planet, I’ve been reminded of God’s gift of breath and air.  We know that we are given life by God’s own breath:

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

Jesus spoke to us about wind and air when he explained to a guy named Nicodemus that God’s Spirit

“What I’m about to tell you is true. No one can enter God’s kingdom unless they are born with water and the Holy Spirit. 6 People give birth to people. But the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised when I say, ‘You must all be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wants to. You hear the sound it makes. But you can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going. It is the same with everyone who is born with the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8

Loving God, we are grateful for the life you have breathed into us.  We thank You for the wind of Your Spirit who fills us with new life every day.  We may not be able to physically see Your Spirit, just  as we physically can’t see the wind but we certainly can experience the joy and blessing You bring us when You fill us with life by Your Spirit just as we enjoy and are refreshed by clean air that blows across our streets.

When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers gathered in one place. Suddenly a sound came from heaven. It was like a strong wind blowing. It filled the whole house where they were sitting. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1-2, 4

People didn’t see the Spirit on the day of Pentecost but the amazing changes in the people that day who were filled with Your Spirit has changed the world since then.  Well, God, we know You are still doing the same for us today as we open our hearts to receive You.

The believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:52 

Thank you for giving us a new birth to life that lasts forever.  Thank You for the power and the blessing of the Holy Spirit who enables us to do far more than we can imagine as we walk by Your Spirit’s power.

Our prayer today is that the Holy Spirit would rest on us and do all that You promise so we can accomplish all the amazing work You have for us to do:

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.

Isaiah 11:2-5

We pray for fresh air around us and the fresh wind of the Spirit flowing through us today.  Amen