John 3:6-8 – Flesh can give birth only to flesh; it is spirit that gives birth to spirit. You ought not to be astonished, then, when I say that you must be born again. The wind blows where it wills; you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from, or where it is going. So with everyone who is born from spirit. (NEB)

A few months ago, the remnant of a tropical storm howled through our city. The next morning when I awoke, I went to my window to see what, if any, damage had been done. The breeze was now gentler, and seemed to be toying with the branches and the leaves, caressing the long grasses. For a moment, I looked, seeing only what I had seen so often before. Then, suddenly, a fresh thought crossed my mind. There must be an unseen hand, or at least power, touching each leaf, branch, and stem of grass. It is not possible for them to move on their own. Without this unseen force, they are still, unable to move by their own power. Suddenly I was conscious of the power, all invisible, which was moving the whole familiar world of trees and lawns in front of me. This was, indeed also, the power that had swept across the country in the night, in some places breaking limbs, and even houses, which stood in its path.

With a new reverence, I remembered how Jesus, when trying to explain spiritual truth to Nicodemus, used this simile, telling him that the Holy Spirit is like the wind.

Each of us is like a tree, unable to move or accomplish anything beyond our own growth, until He moves us! And when He does, power beyond understanding touches our small world!

Prayer:

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.

Come Holy Spirit, and use us for the glory of Jesus. Amen.

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