“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” JOHN 3:8 NASB1995 

“Whoa, did you feel that?” The young girl gasped and looked up at her mom as they walked toward the car. She slipped her small hand into her mother’s, the larger one instinctively closing around it as they both stopped to look around. In the distance, they saw the trees bending and swaying under unseen power, the same strong wind that had almost blown the little girl over. 

“Look at that wind,” her mom whispered, awestruck. 

“But I can’t see it!” came an almost instant reply, the confusion wrinkling the girl’s brow. 

“But you can feel it, can’t you?” her mom challenged. “And you can see what it’s doing to the trees, right?” 

A beautiful smile spread across her face like a rainbow. “Yes! And I can hear it too,” she beamed in wonder, turning back toward the trees to watch the mystery unfold. 

We, too, encounter mystery when we consider the Holy Spirit. We can’t see Him with our eyes, but we see His power, genius, and love all throughout creation. Greater still, for those who are in Christ Jesus, we feel Him and can even hear His still small voice of truth flowing through our thoughts like a gentle breeze in the sails of our souls. We can’t see the Spirit, but we can watch in wonder as He helps us understand God’s Word and apply it to our lives. In following His lead, we end up looking more like Jesus—a sign to others who are watching us that God is real, and His awe-inspiring power is at work in us who believe. 

God, Your ways are not my ways nor are Your thoughts like mine. You are mysterious, and yet You have chosen to reveal Yourself through the Word, the works of Your hand, and the wonderful counsel of Your Holy Spirit. God, teach me to stop, look, and listen to Your leading. In Jesus’s name. 

This is an excerpt from True Sweetness: Growing in the Fruits of the Spirit – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.