“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (KJV)
Here in the Washington, D.C. area, we have been under a high-air-quality alert due to wildfires burning in Canada. What amazes me is not just that there is a fire, but how far the smoke has traveled. When I look outside my window, I see a haze hanging over the skyline, and I can smell the smoke in the air. Though I am thousands of miles away from where the fire began, I am experiencing its effects.
As I stood looking outside, I thought of Jesus’ words: “The wind bloweth where it listeth.”
No one can see the wind itself, yet everyone can witness where it has been. It carries things farther than we could ever imagine, and in much the same way, the Spirit of God moves beyond the places we can see and beyond the people we can reach.
The Reach Of The Spirit
When the fire of the Holy Ghost begins to burn in our hearts, our homes, and our churches, we often have no idea how far its influence will travel. A prayer whispered in a prayer room may strengthen someone you have never met. A worship service filled with God’s presence may inspire a missionary across the globe. A testimony shared in your neighborhood may echo into generations yet unborn.
The disciples experienced this very thing in Acts 2. What began with about 120 believers gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem seemed small and hidden. Yet when the Spirit was poured out, the sound was heard throughout the city, and people from many nations were affected. That one moment of obedience became the beginning of a revival that spread across the world.
The Spirit’s reach is far greater than our vision.
We may think our acts of obedience are insignificant, but once surrendered to God, the wind of His Spirit carries them wherever He desires. That is why Scripture reminds us:
“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6
Revival is not produced by human strength, talent, or strategy. It is produced by the moving of the Spirit. Our responsibility is not to control the wind, but to respond to it.
So, let the fire burn today and pray with expectation, worship without reservation, and witness with boldness. Let’s pray to be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Ghost because we may never fully know whose life is changed because we simply obeyed God.
The wind is still blowing, and its reach is farther than you can imagine.
