I’ve been ruminating about…Prevailing Winds – By Andrea Candy
Any good yachtie will tell you that it’s important to be aware of prevailing winds when sailing into new waters, i.e. to know from which direction the weather usually comes. Go with the prevailing wind and you’ll have sweet sailing but a contrary weather pattern may lead you into strife.
Many of us in business or public life are motivated to prevail. We want to gain strength, succeed, win over competitors, establish ourselves in the market, or if we’re in sales, “urge successfully or persuade” to bring about good results. What seem to others like insurmountable obstacles are challenges to us; we get a buzz from overcoming the odds. Where lesser mortals might quail with fear, we strive for mastery with determination and courage. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Created to prevail
The motivation to prevail is a God-given gift, the way some of us are created to be, and in battling to overcome, we fulfil God’s purposes for us and for others. Elijah had this gift in confronting an evil king and the prophets of Baal. Paul used it in contending for the gospel in all sorts of adverse circumstances. In his writings he constantly urges us to persevere, strive onwards, run the race, be faithful, reach for the prize, stand firm – all ways to prevail over the enemy of our souls.
Distortions
But there is a flip side in the use and expression of this ability to prevail. Determination can easily become stubbornness. Strength of spirit distorts into a form of rebellion. In seeking to win out we might be tempted to fight the wrong person, compromise our integrity or trample on the innocent in our path. In the end, instead of sailing sweetly with the prevailing wind, we find ourselves struggling against the forces against us, bitterly complaining that ‘it’s not fair’ that we can’t have our own way. Like Moses, we hit the rock in anger. God is faithful and supplies what we need to give to others, but we ourselves miss out on the greater blessing.
How does God deal with a person like this?
Jacob the deceiver
Jacob’s life is instructive. Named ‘one who grasps the heel’ he was from birth a striver and an opportunist. He prevailed over his brother, then his father, his extended family and even had a go at God’s messenger. His name ‘deceiver’ also indicates that no method was too low for him to stoop to, if it got him what he wanted. Finally however he met his match in the ‘angel’ with whom he wrestled all night. “I will not let you go unless you bless me,” he says, still combative in getting the best deal! God honours that motivation, giving him a new name – Israel – “one who struggles with God and with human beings and overcomes.” But he also gives Jacob a permanent limp – a reminder of who really is the boss, and that the way he walks in expressing his motivation to prevail is important. From that moment, Jacob shows changed behaviour – he seeks to be reconciled to his brother, to build family relationships, to bless and not subvert.
Saul the Pharisee
A similar pattern occurs in New Testament Saul’s life. First he is full of anger and violence, hunting down Christians and “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples” (Acts 9:1) – a persevering Pharisee if ever there was one! God blinds him on the road to Damascus in a blunt and powerful demonstration that he has his eyes on the wrong target. Like Jacob, Saul is given a new name and becomes Paul. Then, after a long time in the wilderness, he re-emerges, still with the same motivation to prevail but now redirected on behalf of the gospel, not against it. He debates, argues, strives, survives, prevailing against Jews, Roman rulers, principalities and powers, in the synagogues and in the marketplace, even appealing to (challenging?) Caesar. Again like Jacob, he is given a ‘thorn in the flesh’, a permanent disability to remind him that the strength and power must always come from God, not himself.
Elijah the prophet
Elijah was another mighty man of God with the motivation to prevail. In God’s strength he defeated evil and influenced a whole nation. His prayers were powerful as were the acts he performed on God’s behalf. He said “I have been very zealous for the Lord” and it was all true. But when he couldn’t prevail against Jezebel, out of fear he ran away and became somewhat self-pitying. God had to tell him that he wasn’t the only faithful one left in Israel and that He had other ways of working than through displays of mighty power. (1 Kings 19:11-18)
Rightly prevailing
So how can we be sure we are acting in the right spirit? What do we do with the urge to strive and prevail? Some thoughts:
- God knows how to give good gifts to his children. We have been created in His image. He is the ultimate source of all our motivations, gifts, abilities and temperaments.
- Good gifts can be corrupted, by the general disobedience of mankind and by our own wilfulness.
- God is in the business of redemption and all things will be restored to their original design and rightful place.
- Whatever power and mastery we have is delegated. All authority belongs to Christ, who is head over everything, but he shares it with us. “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me…therefore you go and make disciples…”
- God redirects our desire to prevail and overcome to a new purpose. Not so much against the bad but for the good. Not for our own ends, to exalt ourselves, but on behalf of others and for the defence of His name and glory.
- There are different ways of prevailing. The message of Jesus’ death is that we actually win by apparently losing. “He who loses his life will gain it.”
Finally, it might pay to ask ourselves why we want to prevail or win or succeed. The motivation to overcome might be a great gift to have, but the greatest is love. Which wind do you have in your sails? The contrary wind of your own self-directed motivation, or the wind of the Spirit of Jesus?
Happy sailing.
Comments
Leave a Reply
