The Windmill

In three days, I have witnessed three major changes in the weather, from blue skies, to a grey day to a pristine countryside covered in a white, snowy blanket. All three days have shown me the ever changing creativity of God and that only He can provide. A beautiful sunrise, rays of sunshine peeking through dark grey clouds and now a rare sight, in our part of Texas, a snowy white winter wonderland.
There are certain preparations that we have to do on the ranch, if the weather gets really cold. We have to prepare the windmills so the pipe won't freeze and break if the water freezes. Learning about windmills gave me insight to write an analogy to my prayer life. I hope it speaks to you, too.

"As you drive along the countryside, in West Texas, you usually come across a lot of mesquite and every so often, a windmill. One thing we have a lot of in West Texas is WIND. Windmills can withstand gusts over 50 miles per hour and it takes the wind and uses it for power. The power is to help the windmill produce a very precious resource for our dry area, water. 

Windmills remind me of Christians who have found the LIVING WATER. 

Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “Draw from my well and you shall thirst no more.”

Windmills loom above the miles of mesquite just as we Christians should stand out in our world, because of the inner joy we draw from the Living Water.  

One of our chores on the ranch is to make sure all of the parts of the windmill are working. The windmill has a fanwheel that turns in the direction of the wind. When the fanwheel blades move, the main shaft moves up and down. Prayer can be our tail to make the blades turn to turn our minds in God’s direction. God’s spirit is often described as “Wind.” So as prayer turns us in God’s direction, His Spirit, the Wind, can tap us into the Power of His Spirit. (John 3:8) The Hebrew and Greek word for “spirit” means “breath” or “wind.” Wind cannot be seen but it can be felt, and it cannot be stopped by humans. God’s Holy Spirit moves like the wind. 

The main shaft has sucker rods that connect to the underground water. As the wind turns the blades, the main shaft can draw water up through sucker rods and into the pond or water trough. It is the connection to the water that is below ground, unseen. Sometimes, Christians act like they are a windmill without sucker rods. We come to church, on Sunday, feel the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and then leave it at the church door as we go home. We struggle the other six days, on our own limited power. 

When icy weather comes, we will put a chain on the windmill to lock the blades down. That is so the sucker rods will not break while it is frozen with icy water. No matter how much the wind blows, the blades of the windmill won’t turn while the chain is in the locked position. Some people have chains on their souls, the same way, caused by guilt, hate, envy, pride or unforgiveness. Even the the Presence of God, the Wind, is all around them, they cannot tap into the Power or the Living Water. As soon as the icy weather has past, we release the chain that locked the blades, so that the windmill can produce water again. If the cattle, in the pasture, went without water, they would soon die from thirst. 

God can break the chains on our souls, too. If we believe in Him, and ask Him to forgive us, the chains will be broken and we can turn our hearts and minds toward Him. We can receive the power of His Holy Spirit to draw Living Water and produce the essence of life that God meant each one of us to have. "

I hope this quenches your thirst,

Your Sister in Christ