The Blowing

When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!

~Nehemiah 4:20 NLT

The blowing alerted me to the presence of something nearby.

I love sitting on our vintage glider on our patio in the early morning. Call it a family tradition—at least from my grandparents. I never remember my father or mother sitting outside. Sure, they always had porch furniture but never used it. Me, I have and do.

One morning, in the middle of a sweltering July, our area of the state enjoyed one morning among the many 70-degree humid mornings where temps dropped to the low 60s and the humidity plummeted. When I saw the forecast, I planned to greet the dawn on my glider.

As I sat—reading, writing, and drinking my coffee—my small Chihuahua-type dog chased squirrels along our privacy fence as they attempted to pounce on the bird feeder for their morning meal. Suddenly, her ears peeled back, and she ran toward me. That’s when I heard it: the blowing.

I had heard the sound before, but not in a long time. Woods and a winding creek form the boundary of our backyard. I had seen deer there before, so I assumed I knew where the sound originated. Quietly, I snuck to our back gate and waited. I saw nothing … until I heard the blowing again. Then, I saw the white tail. It swished every time the deer blew.

Unlike us, deer don’t blow through their mouths but rather through their noses, making a sound that resembles a long “whoosh.” I stood for a few minutes enjoying the show before he ran to other parts. Deer make this sound when they sense danger. I suppose my little dog provided that. I was too far away.

In Nehemiah’s time, the sound wasn’t a whoosh but a bellowing horn. As he and other residents rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem, their opponents lingered in the background, waiting to attack. Nehemiah instructed all the workers to wear swords, and he gave horns to others. If the enemy attacked, the hornblowers were to blast their instruments.

God doesn’t blow a horn to let us know Satan is about to attack or that we will soon face trying circumstances. He does warn us that Satan prowls like a roaring lion and disguises himself as an angel of light. And God promises never to forsake us no matter what we face or do.

God’s horn isn’t audible, but it comes just as loudly in the form of our consciences when we saturate them with teachings from God’s Word. A prepared conscience is a loud conscience that lets us know when spiritual danger lurks nearby.

Thankfully, we can prepare our consciences to hear God’s horn, signaling danger ahead. And the good news? God will never leave us unprepared.

Listen, you can hear the blowing.

Martin Wiles

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is multi-published author. His most recent book, Grits, Grace, and Grands, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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