The Wind

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8, ESV)

In John Chapter 3 we read of a conversation that Jesus had with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. In this conversation, Jesus told Nicodemus that to enter the kingdom of God that he must be born again of the Spirit. In this conversation, Jesus explained much about the Spirit using an analogy of the wind.

We are going to take a short parenthetical break in the study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians to understand more about the leadership of the Spirit. Previously, in the letter to the Galatians, Paul emphasized that believers were to be led of the Spirit and not the flesh. However, some may wonder how this leading of the Spirit works, and more precisely, how does one follow such leading? We will begin by looking at Jesus’ words here and progress to discuss what it means to be filled with the Spirit.

Years ago, I was on a camping trip. The men in our group took their daughters out on the lake in canoes. So, my daughter and I donned life jackets and set off in a canoe. We got out in the middle of the lake and while there a strong wind kicked up. As I rested from paddling, we were quickly blown away from the camp into the middle of the lake towards the opposite shore. The wind had total control of the canoe.

Well, I got off the seat in the canoe and down on my knees, and began paddling with all my strength to get back to camp. By the time we got back, I was worn out. It was a lot of work to fight against the wind.

In Jesus’ analogy, He compared the Holy Spirit with the wind. In fact, the Greek word translated as wind and Spirit are the same, pneuma. We learn several key things about the Spirit of God from Jesus’ analogy.

First, you cannot see the Holy Spirit with your physical eyes. You can only see the influence of the Spirit in the lives of believers. As mentioned in previous posts this will be seen in the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer. Remember that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV). Out of these the believer will produce the good works that shine in the darkness and bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

Second, like the wind the Holy Spirit moves believer where it wills. In reference to the Spirit, this is in accordance with the will of God. The Holy Spirit seeks to lead believers in the right direction. He will never ever move a believer in a direction contrary to the divine purposes of God.

Third, and this is very important to understand, to resist the leading of the Holy Spirit is like paddling a canoe against the wind. Oh, we believers often try to negotiate a path contrary to the leading of the Spirit, but it is the most strenuous and uncomfortable way to go. In doing so, believers will find themselves frazzled, exhausted, frustrated, and off the course of where the Lord desires.

The big issue for believers is to learn to how to yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in their lives. In the next several devotions, we will delve into this in greater depth.