John 3:8 — The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Yesterday it was the rain. Today it was the wind. Sometimes it is so clear that God uses weather to get our attention, or to draw our attention to a particular scripture.
This comment that Jesus made to Nicodemus came to mind this morning as I had my quiet time on our lanai. There was quite a strong wind and the mesh of the cage panels amplified the sound and the activity of the Holy Spirit filled my thoughts.

In these few words Jesus says a great deal. It’s important, by the way, to know that the word “pneuma” that Jesus uses for “wind” is also used for “Spirit” … which causes the passage to be inhabited by the mystery that Nicodemus finds so confusing.

The wind blows where it will. And so it is of every one that is born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has set us free to go wherever our will will take us. At the same time, there are places we will not go, for our will — at least in our better times — is His will too.

We can hear the wind. Others can “hear” our passing — our Christian character and behavior should influence those we encounter, even if they do not know what has shaped that character and behavior, and even if they do not know where we are going. We, of course, are listening to a greater wind:

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2-4)
The wind is an amazing force … It can change everything in a moment, or it can have it’s effect gently over time. The Holy Spirit works in both ways. There is the dramatic change of salvation, and the long-term effect of sanctification. It has been that way for a while,many maybe it will continue for a while longer … The Irish writer George William Russel wrote, “The wind from the Kingdom of Heaven has blown all over the world, and shall blow for centuries yet.“. Of course, it could all be over tomorrow too … but for now, here comes the wind again.