Kingdom Calling Blog…

I thought I would share a bit of my process today in hearing from God, and what I do when I get a picture, word, or something else. I have learnt that God loves our process and it is how we build an intimate relationship with Him, as we press in to hear His heart and catch the meaning for the things He shows us.

Isaiah 45:3 I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Prov 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

During a time of worship recently, God gave me a picture of a weather vane that was spinning around really fast. This is not unusual for me to get a picture of something in this way and sometimes it can be a moving picture. I have learnt over time that this is one of the primary ways that God speaks to me. We are all unique and created differently which means we will also hear from God differently, and over time you learn what that looks like for you, as you grow in your intimate relationship with Papa.

Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.

How do you hear from God?

I immediately thought about the history of the weather vane and what they are actually used for. God often speaks symbolically, and so I always dig around for clues regarding the picture He has shown me. This is where having a mobile phone on you is helpful as you can start looking things up wherever you are. It’s also good for name meanings if you feel God draw your attention to someone’s name. It may be that God wants you to encourage them through this. If you look in the bible you will see lots of examples of this being done.

Matt 16:18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Gen 25:15-16 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Anyway, after that slight detour, back to the picture I had…

A weather vane, wind vane, or weathercock is an instrument for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word vane comes from the Old English word fana meaning “flag”.

I was intrigued by the fact that the word vane from the old English means flag. A flag is used as a marker or a signal and for me this was significant. They are also placed at the highest point of a building so that they can be seen far from away and so that they can catch the wind.

Although partly functional, weather vanes are generally decorative, often featuring the traditional cockerel design with letters indicating the points of the compass. They can also feature motifs including ships, arrows and horses. When the wind is sufficiently strong, the head of the arrow or cockerel (or equivalent) will indicate the direction from which the wind is blowing.

Looking at the history of weather vanes I found that Pope Gregory I, said that the rooster “was the most suitable emblem of Christianity”, being “the emblem of St Peter”, a reference to Luke in which Jesus predicts that Peter will deny him three times before the rooster crows.

Luke 22-34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

As a result of this, the cockerel gradually began to be used as a weather vane on church steeples, and in the 9th century Pope Nicholas I ordered the figure to be placed on every church steeple.

One alternative theory about the origin of weathercocks on church steeples is that it was an emblem of the vigilance of the clergy calling the people to prayer. 

So, in the natural, the weather vane points in the direction that the wind is blowing.

But, this picture was not about what was happening in the natural, but what was happening in the spiritual.

As I understood it more, through a dialogue with God, I could see that God wanted us as Christians to look beyond what we see with our eyes in the natural, but to look and hear what/where the wind of the Holy Spirit is doing/moving instead, in the spiritual realm. If you think about a wind in the natural you hear it as it moves through and across things in its path, but you can also see the wind move, again as it goes through and over things.

God’s desire is for a people who are in tune with His Holy Spirit, available and obedient to partner with Him.

John 3:8 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.”

The direction the Holy Spirit is moving in should be the only direction we are interested in going. Where the spirit moves is where we should be heading and partnering with, in whatever He is doing.

I try and live my life so that I am aware of the Holy Spirit throughout the day and ask Him what He is doing and what I should do to partner with Him. Being intentional with the Holy Spirit is a lifestyle and one that as a spirit filled Christian you can expect to have. When you look and listen you can start to see and feel where the wind of the Holy Spirit is moving and join in with whatever is happening. This makes for a very interesting, exciting, and sometimes nerve-wracking time. The thing is when you notice what He is doing there is an invite to get involved and you have a choice.

The Holy Spirit is not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do because that is not His nature. But, you get to choose whether to ignore the invite, the gentle prod you feel and just dismiss it, or take a step of courage and get involved. One leads to an exciting adventure in your everyday life because you literally never know what is going to happen and you approach your days full of excitement about what might be or you can live a humdrum life of low expectations about anything exciting happening on a run of the mill Wednesday in the office, if you get my point!

So, back to the picture and the phrase that I heard, not audibly (I would love to hear the audible voice of God though and I pray that it will happen one day) but the phrase dropped into my mind…

‘Winds of change‘.

I think this was why the weather vane in the picture was spinning around so fast, because there was a change of direction coming.

Are you looking for a new direction today?

Have you been praying and waiting on God for a sign?

Have you been crying out for an answer about which direction to go in?

I believe there is a significance in the idea of the weather vane being a ‘call to pray’ and that God is calling you into a time of prayer and trusting in Him like never before. Keep your eyes fixed on Him, listen, and look for the signs I believe you are going to see, showing you which direction to go in.

I hope this has been helpful in some way for you and if this picture speaks to you, don’t forget to drop me a message and let me know if it does.

I’m excited for you today as God points you in a new direction knowing that His plans for you are good, they are hope filled and point you to a future that God has marked out for you.

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.