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Unseen as the Wind, January 7
The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do
not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one
who is born of the Spirit.
John 3:8
, RSV.
The wind is heard among the branches of the trees, rustling the leaves and
flowers; yet it is invisible, and no man knows whence it comes or whither it
goes. So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. [The Spirit] can no
more be explained than can the movements of the wind. A person may not
be able to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the circumstances in the
process of conversion; but this does not prove him to be unconverted.
By an agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly working upon
the heart. Little by little, perhaps unconsciously to the receiver, impressions
are made that tend to draw the soul to Christ. These may be received through
meditating upon Him, through reading the Scriptures, or through hearing
the Word from the living preacher. Suddenly, as the Spirit comes with more
direct appeal, the soul gladly surrenders itself to Jesus. By many this is called
sudden conversion; but it is the result of long wooing by the Spirit of God—a
patient, protracted process. While the wind is itself invisible, it produces
effects that are seen and felt. So the work of the Spirit upon the soul will
reveal itself in every act of him who has felt its saving power. When the Spirit
of God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the life. Sinful thoughts are
put away, evil deeds are renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place
of anger, envy, and strife. Joy takes the place of sadness, and the countenance
reflects the light of heaven. No one sees the hand that lifts the burden, or
beholds the light descend from the courts above. The blessing comes when
by faith the soul surrenders itself to God. Then that power which no human
eye can see creates a new being in the image of God.
It is impossible for finite minds to comprehend the work of redemption.
Its mystery exceeds human knowledge; yet he who passes from death to
life realizes that it is a divine reality. The beginning of redemption we may
know here through a personal experience. Its results reach through the eternal
ages.—
The Desire of Ages, 172, 173
.
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