A good friend of mine loves weathervanes. In fact, this photo is one she took that is on top of a barn just a few miles north of where I live. In sharing her fascination with weathervanes, she commented that she had done a bit of research and discovered that their original purpose was more than being a lovely decoration. Their purpose was to catch the purest breezes, the purest wind, and indicate its direction. 

For you see, at ground level the direction of the wind can be deceptive. Buildings and even trees can cause the wind to swirl, interfering with its true direction. So prior to the days of Doppler radar and mobile phone weather apps, farmers mounted weathervanes on the highest structures, typically a barn, to catch the true speed and direction of the wind. Weathervanes were one of the most important tools these farmers had to forecast weather, gaining the information they needed to guide their decisions when to plant seed and when to harvest their crops. 

As she shared this with me, I thought about the wind of God, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to give us direction. The Apostle Paul admonishes us to “let the Holy Spirit guide our lives.” (Gal. 5:16 NLT) But there are a lot of things that can interfere with knowing the true direction of the Holy Spirit. The business and busyness of life, its the worries and cares, as well as the apprehension and even fear we feel due to the discord in our nation, all of these things can obstruct our awareness of His guidance. 

So what is our spiritual weathervane? Where is that “high place” where we can catch the true direction of the wind of the Holy Spirit to guide our decisions and actions, to quell our fears and worries? It’s not on top of a barn or even atop a church. It’s on our knees! Our spiritual weathervane is prayer.

Through prayer, the “wind of God,” the Holy Spirit, can provide us with true direction for our lives so we are not confused or misled by conflicting winds or swirling drafts of opinion. We can receive unobstructed direction and guidance for our lives. Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul encourages us to “pray about everything.” (Phil.4:6 NLT) So use your weathervane of prayer and catch what the wind of the Holy Spirit desires to reveal to you—guidance for your life, and peace and comfort for your soul. 

Photo Credit: Christine Hardy