Two-Minute Manna

The north wind is a cold wind. Perhaps you feel cold presently - you don’t feel the intense love for Jesus that you would like to or once did. You feel distant and alone. That is the blowing of the north wind. Let the wind blow - because the times that are devoid of tingly feelings or “Holy Ghost goose bumps” provide unique opportunity for you to demonstrate your love for the Lord through diligence in worship, prayer, and study of His Word - even though you don’t feel His presence.

Gang, an absence of feelings doesn’t mean the Lord has forsaken you. On the contrary, He is allowing you to go through a cold season in order to grant you the privilege of learning to walk by faith and not by feeling. Feelings are so fickle. They’re affected by what you ate last night, by what your family said to you this morning, by the news, the weather, the economic outlook. Not so faith. It is a constant because it is totally independent of outside circumstances. Therefore, the Lord, wanting the best for His people, desires us to walk in the surety and stability of faith.

Can you, like the maiden, say, “Lord, I’m willing to go through a week, a month, or even a year of the blowing north wind in order to give to You without expecting the sense of Your presence in return”? Can you say, “Lord, if I can best demonstrate what You have done in my life through periods of coldness, so be it”?

Most of the time, whenever I give to God, I get so much back that I can’t really call it giving at all! I start to worship and say, “Lord, this is a sacrifice of praise to You,” when suddenly, finding myself flooded with feelings of joy, I think, “This is no sacrifice at all. Am I doing this to give - or am I doing this to receive?” But when I feel somewhat distant from the Lord, it’s an opportunity for me to give without necessarily receiving anything in return.

If you’re going through a cold spell today, if the north wind is howling, rejoice. You have a unique opportunity to minister to Jesus, to give to Him worship and adoration, praise and thanksgiving regardless of your feelings.

The south wind, on the other hand, is a hot, arid wind. Perhaps you are presently walking through days of difficulty and times of fiery trials. That is the blowing of the south wind. If this is your situation, remember that it’s not when you’re prospering and cruising through life that others can see Jesus in you. It’s when they see you walking through difficult days by the grace of God that they know He is real to you.