The Spirit - Sovereign
- Feed Your Soul
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
John 3:5-8 (ESV) 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born qof water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 rThat which is born of the flesh is sflesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.1 7 tDo not marvel that I said to you, ‘You2 must be born uagain.’ 8 vThe wind3 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.”
I love going on walks when there is a gentle but comforting wind. The type that isn’t just a simple breeze but isn’t a gust either. Just enough to make the trees sway and the tall grasses of the field dance in unison with it. Then, there is the sound it makes. It is so gentle but so powerful all at once. On top of this, usually these winds happen when it is warm out, but not too hot. Absolutely perfect conditions for a long walk with the family.Ready to have your mind blown…that same wind you are feeling consists of the very same air that has, at one point or another, travelled all over the world and reached people you wouldn’t even imagine. It is a reminder how Creation works in such a way that is much further reaching than our limited self.
God works in such ways as well. When we think of power. Power both limitless and infinite. We typically won’t think of a comforting wind on a spring afternoon. Yet, we see a beautiful parallel to the Holy Spirit’s personification of the attribute of sovereignty! As the Father and Son are Sovereign and unstoppably powerful, so too is the Holy Spirit in His own way.
Think on this for a moment. The wind itself. We know scientifically how God constructed creation to make winds a “thing.” Air pressure, temperatures of both the air and the ground, etc. etc. Yet, wind, cannot truly ever be stopped. You might think, “Hey! I could just go inside a building when the wind is too strong!” Guess what? That wind, in the right circumstances, could rip that building right out of the ground. You could put up a wall to hide behind…and all it would accomplish is causing the wind to split in different directions when it hits your wall.
Yes, the wind might slow down and be more manageable…but you never TRULY stop it. In order to stop wind, you would have to remove all “air” from the world. Air which is life giving. Air which you NEED….do you see where I am going with this? :)
Look at the scripture above in John. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a man who has dedicated his life to be a great teacher of the things of God to all of Israel and the Jewish people! Jesus, who is God in flesh, is standing in front of Nicodemus. Nicodemus, whose job is to teach people what to look for when the Savior comes to the earth. Jesus has to teach Nicodemus about the promise of Salvation. Pure irony…
But that tail end of it is where we see something so incredible in relation to how the Holy Spirit operates in His Sovereignty. We see this picture of a wind that goes where it wills. You see the effects of it. You hear its sound. Yet you don’t “get it.” Christ is both teaching Nicodemus and scolding him all at once.
In this, this is how the Spirit operates in relation to our Salvation. God chooses whom He desires. God goes to whom He wills. The Spirit changes the hearts of those who fulfill His Kingdom in a manner that is most pleasing to Him…and I sit in awe that I am one of those who “was found by the wind…” Thank you God…
Soli Deo Gloria!!!!
