Wind Empowers Windmills

I have always been fascinated by windmills. However, they are worthless objects unless the wind empowers them. The blades of the windmills are so graceful as they go around and around under the direction of whirling air. It is amazing how much productive power they generate. According to Wikipedia, the windmill is defined as a mill that converts the energy of the wind into rotational energy by vanes called blades. Centuries ago, windmills usually were used to mill grain or pump water. The majority of modern windmills take the form of wind turbines used to generate electricity, or windpumps used to pump water. Their appearance has changed dramatically over the years and the use of their power has expanded. As my physical eye looks up to see these towers catching the air’s breeze, my spiritual eye looks up to the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Focusing upon physical windmills brings back memories of when I grew up on a farm. There was a windmill on almost every farm and it was the source that provided water for our cattle. Our windmill pumped water from deep beneath the ground. However, it could only function when the wind was blowing. Dad made sure to fill our cattle’s watering tank to capacity on a day when the wind was blowing because there was the possibility that tomorrow he would not be able to add water to the tank if the air was still.

Today when traveling across the state of Iowa, we see numerous modern windmills. Instead of one windmill per farm, these groupings of structures are called windmill farms. If the wind is blowing, the blades of the windmills will be rotating. If there is no wind, the three blades of the mill are stationery. The windmill can still only operate when there is wind. However, instead of being a source of water, most modern windmills are used as a source of electricity.

With the structural use of windmills in mind, I now look for a spiritual application. I am the windmill and the Holy Spirit is my wind. Jesus says in 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.” In the natural, I cannot see the wind but I can feel it blowing against my face. In the spiritual, I cannot see the Holy Spirit but I am aware of the Spirit’s power and work in my life. Knowing that Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit descended upon the eleven apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ fifty days after His ascension, I think of another scripture. Selected portions of Acts 2:1-4 describe this occasion by saying, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. … All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit….” Here is wind and here is power! This is what Jesus promised in John 16:7, “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” Considering how this affects me today, I look at a couple of scriptures found in letters written by Paul. When Paul says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength,” he is referring to the power of the Holy Spirit at work within him,  This same power is available to me today. Then in Ephesians 3:16 NLT, Paul says, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he (the Father) will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” If the wind of the Spirit is blowing upon my life, I am promised the strength to accomplish the Lord’s will and work. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, I will not succeed.

The windmill uses wind power to create rotational energy for the use in mills and pumps and wind turbines. Similarly, I can rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to give me energy to fulfill the tasks the Lord has for me. I described physical windmills as having a graceful appearance. It is only possible for me to be the person God wants me to be by being “grace full” – full of His grace. This corresponds with the definition of grace that says it is His empowering presence that allows me to be the person He created me to be and to do what He has planned for me to do. Wind and windmills work together just as the Holy Spirit works with me.

Joyfully,
Cheryl

Take a Deep Breath

It is springtime and the weather is in a constant state of flux. Some days are warm and then the next few days may be cold. Wind usually accompanies a change in these weather fronts. I feel wind but I do not see it. I know wind exists even though I cannot visually validate it. This reminds me of the Holy Spirit who I know exists even though I cannot see Him. Scripture describes the Holy Spirit as wind in Acts 2, so it is applicable for me to make this comparison. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they (the disciples) were sitting….All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…. – Acts 2:2&4. (my emphasis and explanations)

Since wind can be defined as moving air, I think about breathing. I have physical life because I breathe oxygen from the air. This takes me to a scripture in the first book of the Bible. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” There is life in the breath of God. In the creation process, I was formed and then I came alive when God breathed His breath of life into me. God imparted to me eternal, spiritual life only possible through His breath which was not given to any plant or animal He created. I have physical life because I breathe in oxygen, and I have spiritual life because I breathe in the breath of God. I must not try to do His work in our own strength. Paul reminds me in Philippians 4:13 NKJV, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The only way I can accomplish all that the Lord sets before me is to rely upon the spiritual power imparted to me through Christ, through the breath of God. The Lord did not create me to be able to do everything by myself in my own strength. Like the wind, there is power in the breath of God. I cannot see it but I can feel it.

Nature’s wind accompanies storms within the atmosphere. There can be turmoil within the skies and there can be turmoil within my life. There is power in blustery breezes and there is power within the wind of the Holy Spirit. When I am feeling overwhelmed, it helps to relax if I take a few deep breaths. What I am doing in the spiritual realm is expelling my own strength and breathing in God’s strength. I am exhaling my sinfulness and taking in His forgiveness. I am reminded of the words of the hymn Breathe on Me Breath of God by Edwin Hatch. 

Breathe on me, breath of God
fill me with life anew,
that as you love, so I may love
and do what you would do.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with yours
to do and to endure.

Breathe on me, breath of God;
fulfil my heart’s desire,
until this broken part of me

Breathe on me, breath of God;
so shall I never die,
but live with you the perfect life
of your eternity.

To conclude, I have come to realize that if I can believe in the wind that blows as part of weather, I can believe in the Holy Spirit. Like the wind of the weather, I cannot see the Holy Spirit, yet like the wind, I can feel His presence. Just because I cannot see the wind of the weather, I do not stop believing that wind exists and that there is power within the wind. So, neither should I doubt the existence or the power of the Holy Spirit simply because I cannot visually see Him. I constantly and consistently need the oxygen within the air to live physically and I must continually rely upon the Holy Spirit to give me spiritual life. I need to breathe in God’s divine strength. In John 20:22 it says, “He (Jesus) breathed on them (the disciples) and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Today I ask Jesus to breathe on me and impart to me a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit.

My Reader, will you take a deep breath with me?  Be aware of the breeze around you.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Joyfully,
Cheryl

March Winds Are Blowing

According to the calendar, spring will begin in two days. I will be glad when the weather feels like spring, but the calendar usually tells me it is spring before the weather feels like it. However, we can count on one weather factor during the month of March – it will be windy!

As I meditate upon the word “wind”, I perceive it from both natural and supernatural perspectives. Naturally speaking, wind occurs when air flows from high pressure to low pressure. This results in a change in the atmosphere and in the temperature. Although this weather phenomenon happens year round, we are often more aware of it in March as the weather fluctuates during this change of seasons. Turning my thoughts toward the supernatural realm, the wind is revealed as the Holy Spirit. The word “spirit” in both Hebrew and Greek means “breath” or “wind.” I experience different seasons in my life and it is during these shifts and changes that I rely most heavily upon the Holy Spirit to help me through the adjustments in my atmosphere and temperament. Let’s look at scripture for validation of this comparison.

“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it,
but you do not know where it comes from and where it is
going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8

In this scripture, Jesus makes a comparison between the wind and the Holy Spirit. Since Jesus points out a similarity, I feel there is some validity for what I want to share. An online article by Dr. Donald B. DeYoung of Creation Research Society has helped me articulate the following four comparisons between wind and the Holy Spirit.

First, wind is moving air, and fresh air is needed for life. Regarding the Holy Spirit, the Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, and it means “air in motion.” This word can also be interpreted “breath” or “life.” I am reminded of Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” I see definite similarities!

Secondly, there is no material shape to the wind. Although we cannot see it with our eyes, we do experience the effects of wind. Neither is there is a visible shape to the third person of the Trinity. However, I experience the effects of the Holy Spirit as my life is being transformed and sanctified. Just as a gentle breeze can be invigorating, so can it be energizing for me to feel the work of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the words of Acts 2:2&5, “And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting….and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Thirdly, there is a force involved in both cases. Wind is a powerful force that we cannot stop or control. The moving of the Holy Spirit is the work of God and neither is it subject to human control. Zechariah 4:6 assures me that what is done is “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” The power of the wind can make it easier or more difficult for us to move depending upon which direction the wind is blowing and in what direction we desire to travel. We can apply this same statement to the power of the Holy Spirit. We can either obey His leading or oppose it. I pray I choose to yield to the power of God’s Spirit.

Last, we can experience both the wind and the Holy Spirit in a variety of ways. Some days we may feel a gentle breeze upon our faces while on other days we may experience wind with the force of a tornado or hurricane. We also can encounter the presence of the Holy Spirit in various ways. At times, I sense His presence simply through a quiet sensation within my spirit while at other times His presence may be so strong upon me that I literally feel myself shaking. It is interesting to note that within the single chapter of Acts 16, the Holy Spirit chooses to move in two unique ways. First, let’s read a few words that describe how the Holy Spirit worked quietly within Lydia’s heart. “we (Paul and Silas) were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking …a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her (Lydia’s) heart to respond to the things spoken.” – Acts 16:13-14 Later, the Holy Spirit reveals Himself more violently through an earthquake to a jailer. Listen to some selected phrases: “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake …. When the jailer awoke…he said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?‘ …They said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’” – Acts 16:26-31.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 150:6

My Reader, it is March and the winds of nature are blowing. I pray the wind of the Holy Spirit is also moving upon your life. No matter which wind we are experiencing, one thing remains constant – God is in control. Colossians 1:16 says, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” May I conclude by encouraging you to do as the Psalmist suggests in Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath (that includes you!) praise the Lord!” As you feel the breeze of a March wind blow upon your face, let your breath praise the Lord today!

Joyfully,
Cheryl