Wind (noun): the perceptible natural movement of the air
I can’t see it, but it exists. The Wind.
I experience the wind through my senses:
- I see the flags flapping, windmills spinning, tumbleweeds rolling
- I hear the leaves rustling, waves lapping
- I smell the neighbors’ steaks grilling – a robust aroma carried by the wind across the yard
- I feel the wind on my skin, stirring up strands of hair and making goosebumps
Wind is a gentle breeze and a powerful force. It brings life and destruction to nature. It can’t be controlled by humans, but it can be both generated and harnessed. I can produce wind by fanning a newspaper or blowing air out of my mouth.
How strange the world would be without the wind!
Wind enhances the beauty of dandelion tufts, snowflakes, and palm trees. Wind gives purpose to kites and power to sailboats. Wind can cause a piece of sand to get into my eye (what a troublemaker!) and help keep mosquitos at bay (what a helpful friend!). The wind, in the form of a tornado, took Dorothy to the Land of Oz.
I can’t see it, but it exists. The Wind.
On days I don’t consciously sense God’s presence, I seek the wind to remind me that much exists that I can’t see.
The Holy Spirit is often referred to or described as a wind. In Acts 2:2, the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples at Pentecost with “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind from heaven”.
God used the wind to make the water recede after the great flood and used wind to bring the locusts to Egypt. Psalms 104:4 even tells us that God “makes winds his messengers”. Just another reason to seek the wind when I’m yearning for His presence, perhaps a message from God is awaiting me in the wind.
Ecclesiastes is a book in the Bible that frequently uses the saying “chasing the wind”. The author describes many meaningless and futile activities as “chasing the wind.”
So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:17
Although humans can’t control the wind, God certainly does and has done so. Stories from the life of Jesus demonstrate this. In Mark 4:39, Jesus rebukes the wind. It was threatening to overturn the boat the disciples travelled in, but Jesus stepped up and calmed the storm. This demonstration of his power helped the disciples to recognize him as the Messiah.
In Acts 27, the story is recounted of Paul’s trip to Rome. He was being carried on a ship as a prisoner, and the wind kept interfering with their plans!
The wind did not allow us to hold our course. Act 27:7
A wind of hurricane force swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. Acts 27:14-15
This was all a part of God’s plan for Paul’s ministry. The wind caused the crew to be shipwrecked on Malta, and while there, Paul ministered and healed many of their sick.
In 1 Kings 19, we ready a story about the prophet Elijah. He went into a cave at Horeb, the mountain of God, upon God’s instructions because the Lord was about to “pass by”. Elijah waited. He didn’t hear the Lord in the powerful wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire. But after all of these, the Lord came in a gentle whisper. The wind was part of the plan to get Elijah’s attention, and the message followed afterwards once he was ready to hear.
A very popular song in the 1960s, still a favorite of today, is “Blowing in the Wind” by Bob Dylan. The song poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, freedom, and compassion. Maybe Bob Dylan was inspired by scripture as he wrote the lyrics? Dylan is suggesting that answers to many of life’s big questions are carried in the wind.
If we believe God uses the wind to carry out his plans and to deliver messages as shown in the bible, then we can sing boldly along with Bob Dylan!
I fondly remember a children’s story I read to my young sons years ago: “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.”
It’s a fun adventure all stirred up by a particularly windy day, which Pooh decides to call “Windsday!”. The wind causes a tree to fall over which held the house where Owl lived. The forest friends unite! Piglet gives up his house to Owl and Pooh invites Piglet to live with him. A “Hero Party” is held to celebrate Pooh and Piglet’s selflessness.
Look at that! The wind is the driving force (pun intended!) of life lessons found in sixties songs, children’s books, and scripture.
I can’t see it, but it exists! The Wind.