Devotional 7-1-12

The Power of PRair

Hold your hand close to your face. Now blow on it. Did you feel the air? Sure you did. Did you see the air? Probably not. Air is an interesting thing. It blows gently as a breeze to cool us. It blows violently and leaves in its wake destruction. It pushes against our bodies and our vehicles as we attempt to move forward. A really neat science experiment unfolds as two or more objects (cars, birds, bicycles) move into the wind. The very first object seems to take on the full force of the wind. The air ‘splits’ around it. The object(s) that follow – closely – are allowed to move in a way unhindered by the force of the air. The race car industry has sort of taken ownership of the word but what is happening here is drafting.

Our eyes are instantly drawn to the sky when we see a V formation of birds flying overhead. Scientists that study these birds tell us two things for sure; 1) a bird could never fly, by itself, as far as it does within this formation and 2) the lead bird has to change. The same bird cannot take on the force of the air for the entire journey.

I just completed a fairly long bicycle ride. Eight cyclists covered 445 miles in six days. There were many miles on this trip where the bikes would be in a single file line, very close to each other while the lead bike “pulled” the group. After a few miles that bike would drop back and the next bike in line would pull. No strings attached, all done by the power of unseen air. Together, helping each other, we were able to cover more ground, faster.

Prayer works like this too. You may have a friend or co-worker or family member that is visibly suffering even though you cannot see what troubles them. But you know it is there. By offering a kind word, a listening ear or a prayer you can be the lead bird, allowing them to tuck in behind you and your strength until they themselves feel strong enough to face the force.

Steve Matthews