Like the Wind

March 10, 2020

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting…And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-3 NLT

Two powerful tornadoes, with up to 175-mph winds, raced through Tennessee and touched down earlier this month, causing widespread destruction and killing 24 people. A tornado is a rapidly rotating pillar of wind, and we in Ohio are also very familiar with the power of that pillar of moving air. We’re all aware of the potentially destructive power of wind. But if properly harnessed, wind can also bring tremendous benefits. Think of all the loss in the world if there was no wind. The earth would be stagnant, stinking from pollution and from the normal decaying process that is occurring on the planet. There would be much diminished fruit and harvest because pollination would not occur on a grand scale.

Wind has been vital to the very development of civilization. For example, without wind, exploration never would have occurred. The great ships of the past had no mechanical or nuclear energy to drive them, yet they glided across wide oceans as their mammoth sails caught the wind. The world was explored and conquered by those who were fueled by the force of the wind.

In a multitude of other ways, wind is essential for progress to be made. Without wind, we would be hundreds of years behind where we presently are in history. Wind cannot be seen, but its effects can be felt and heard—just like the Holy Spirit. We cannot see Him, but we can feel the effects of His presence and His power. When the Holy Spirit came, the force was mighty and rushing, like the wind. It was not destructive, but it was very powerful.

Just as wind moves ships, empowers engines, pollinates plants, and disperses pollution from the earth, when the Holy Spirit moved on the Day of Pentecost, He released power strong enough to transform 120 disciples into a mighty force for God! That is true for us as well. When all of our organizing is done and we still lack power, it is the wind of the Holy Spirit that can blow strongly upon us and cause a person or organization to come alive with the life of God.

If you are someone who desires a quiet and calm relationship with God, you need to know that when the wind of the Holy Spirit blows, it is usually attention-attracting. Change happens when wind blows. Energy is produced. When the Holy Spirit moves, He brings change like the wind, and supplies supernatural energy to do what we cannot do on our own.

• Holy Spirit, today I am aware of my inability to do my life and fulfill Your mission without You. Blow over me, send Your wind through me, and fill me with all of You so I can be and do all that God has planned. Amen.