By David Faust

Wind is commonplace. You barely give it a thought when a gentle summer breeze cools your skin, or when 20-mile-per-hour winds make a tall tree sway.

Wind is powerful. Harness it and you can generate electricity and fly a kite, balloon, or plane. A calm breeze soothes our bodies and minds, while strong winds do just the opposite. The powerful gusts of a thunderstorm, the unstoppable force of a hurricane or blizzard, and the twisting winds of a tornado can swiftly destroy a house or wipe out a town.

Wind is mysterious. Velocity, direction, and force don’t tell the whole story. Jesus told Nicodemus, “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” (John 3:8).

I am no weather expert, but I have seen what wind can do. Nor am I an expert on the Holy Spirit, but I believe the promise God gave long ago through the prophet Ezekiel. The Lord said, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26, 27).

God on the Move

On the Day of Pentecost “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind” heralded the Holy Spirit’s arrival (Acts 2:2). However, the Lord didn’t speak to Elijah through a mighty wind; he spoke through a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13). Can you hear the Spirit’s whisper as he changes human hearts?

After a rough start in a marriage plagued by immaturity and unfaithfulness, a young man and his wife recommitted themselves to the Lord and to each other. God’s wind is blowing as they build a family grounded in faith and love.

After growing up in a Muslim nation, enduring abusive treatment from her family, and asking many tough questions, a young woman decided to give her heart to Jesus Christ. She is growing in her faith, feeding on Scripture, soaking up the kindness of a church family that loves her, and starting to use her gifts to serve the Lord. The Spirit’s wind is blowing in her life.

I hear God’s whispers when I’m around a cheerful widow in our church. At age 99, she exudes faithfulness, perseverance, and joy.

I hear the wind blowing when I encounter resilient children who, despite messy home lives, are on their way to becoming mature and productive adults. There’s something refreshing in the air when I encounter young adults who are determined to honor the Lord with their minds, bodies, and careers.

I hear God’s wind blowing when I interact with busy homemakers and professionals who are determined to walk with God every day of the week.

There will always be some mystery about the Holy Spirit, but God’s Word is clear. “Repent and be baptized . . . . And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you” (1 Corinthians 6:19). God is moving. The wind is blowing. Let’s lift our sails.

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.

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