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.”
As I read this passage and write this short comment, the wind outside my house is blowing. More than 2000 years after he spoke them, Jesus’ words still ring true. I can hear the wind blowing but I have no idea where it comes from or where it is going.
I remember when I was a child, I went through a phase of building and flying kites. Once, I flew a kite so high in the sky that I almost lost sight of it. And then, the string broke, and within seconds I did lose sight of it. Where did it go?
Q: How is being born of the Spirit like being borne on the wind?
Well Jeff,..I think you gave the answer away with your comment about the wind blowing,..we don’t know what opportunities lay ahead for the Spirit to use us,..we don’t know when,..we do know that the Spirit is here when the opportunity arises,..sometimes I have said something so profound that I have said,..where did that come from? But I know where it comes from now,..I know Who it is that speaks through me when those opportunities arise,..this is a kind of work that keeps my faith alive,..keep smiling
We like to think we have more control than we actually do. Understanding the Spirit doesn’t give us control, but it helps give us peace in our daily walk in the world.
Sound is also translated ‘voice ‘.( Darby)
The wind for me is to learn to hear the ‘voice’ of the Spirit and then obey.
We hear the voice and wooing of the Holy Spirit and respond to His testimony about Jesus. He regenerates us. But the battle is to keep listening to Him and responding in faith. Let us never stop walking in the Spirit and allowing Him to bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.
Amen brothers! Good words!! Gold stars all around! 🙂
Side Comment/Thought (there be a rabbit):
When I think about this passage and Jesus point about the Spirit, it makes me think about how not only can I not see the wind, but I cannot control it. We humans like to control things, particularly our lives and environment – a doomed goal. Just like trying to control the wind, our attempts to control our personal little world inevitably fail. The lack of control results in worry, apathy, or trust – trust in a thing or a person. Worry has been a difficult sin struggle in my life.
Trust & Faith in the Spirit – our salvation, our spiritual journey is one of trust in a person we cannot control. Perhaps it is the proper return of control we should never have seized in the garden.
Just some thoughts : )
Nathan,
You are not alone in your struggle with worry! You remind me of something I learned some time ago: the phrase, “circles of control.” Draw a circle on a piece of paper, and then write down the things that are in your control inside the circle. Everything else goes outside – these are the things we can trust to God. When I do the exercise, I find that there are very few things I have written down inside the circle!