Yesterday afternoon I walked along the seafront. The previous day the sky was blue; many were out trying to walk off their Christmas excesses.
Yesterday the sky was grey, the wind was strong. Hardly anyone else was out. On the South Pier it was difficult to stand up. I walked back. Horizontal rain was coming straight at me. I understood why the weather had put people off their afternoon walk…
Wind of Discouragement.
I came home and watched the news. Compared to other places we’ve had it pretty good. Storm Gerrit has brought down trees and power lines, homes are without electricity, snow in Scotland brought traffic to a standstill, elsewhere homes are flooded…
Wind of Destruction.
The wise writer of Ecclesiastes had tried to find meaning and purpose to life; he experienced pleasure and entertainment.
Today he would have had the best Christmas presents, watched the best TV, eaten the best food, drunk more than he should have done, been out to the Christmas panto, had all his friends round… He concluded, ‘Everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind.’
Wind of Despair.
Bob Dylan ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was an important part of my growing up. It was one of the songs I learnt when I started playing the guitar. It asked questions – important then, still relevant today:
‘How many times must the cannonballs fly before they’re forever banned?… How many years can some people exist before they’re allowed to be free?… The answer is blowing in the wind…’
Wind of Dreams
Jesus was with his disciples in a boat when a storm comes. The wind blows. ‘Don’t you care if we drown?’ the disciples say. It’s their wind of discouragement, destruction and despair.
Jesus tells the winds to stop, controlling winds of discouragement, destruction and despair. He replaces them with the wind of dreams. The disciples say, ‘Even the wind obeys him.’ They choose to trust the one who controls the wind.
Wind of Decision.
malcolmsmusings.org 
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind. I sometime feel musically we had the best times.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree with you, Bill. I do think that folks of our age are somewhat prejudiced. However, I do believe that our prejudice is justified.
LikeLike
I’m a little too young to be a dyed in the wool folk music lover, but I am anyway.😊 Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” has always intrigued me. Is he saying the answer (to life issues) is uncertain, or as plain as the nose on our faces? Perhaps both?
Your post sent me back to the Gospel of John chapter 3, where Jesus tells Nicodemus, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (NIV)
Jesus and Dylan should be friends, because of their seeming ambiguity. In fact, I believe they are.
I enjoy your posts, Malcolm. Somehow you distill a few scenes into one good point, and it’s always well done. Blessings!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thanks, David. John 3 was there in my original plan, but that could have sent me off on another tack – the Spirit as wind… as was James 1 with people doubting being blown by the wind, and ‘the winds of change whisper in the trees’ from ‘When a child is born’. They all got taken out in the final edit – to try to focus more.
And yes – I love the words of Jesus that can be simultaneously simple yet profound, and so apparently ambiguous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, leaving room for the reader—to add their own thoughts. 😀 And, as you said, these are often ones you had as well, but left out to keep a better focus.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Malcolm, there’s such wisdom and insight in your writing. I’ve always loved that song 🎶 I’m glad you didn’t sustain injury or too much damage. “Even the winds obey him!” In the hurricanes of life, I stay anchored to the power that can keep me “grounded” to truth~the one and only wind-whisperer~Jesus! Many blessings, Malcolm!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Karla. I love the notion of Jesus as the wind-whisperer. I think that God creating, controlling and being with us in the storm as well as the calm, is the same principle as God creating, controlling and being with us in darkeness as well as light…
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amen! That’s a beautiful parallel, Malcolm. He is our everything in every way! I’ve been reflecting a lot on our Immanuel who is always with us~never leaves or forsakes. What a powerful and mighty Savior we serve!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a good reminder, Karla. The season of Advent leads to Christmas, and we often stop there. Immanuel who came at Christmas is God’s continuing presenece with us.
LikeLike