The Holy Spirit Can’t Be Controlled
John 3:8 — “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
I’m not a pastor and didn’t go to seminary, so I may get this wrong or be too liberal in my interpretation. I believe that, when the above verse is taken in context, Jesus is explaining to Nicodemus about spiritual rebirth; however, I want to make a broader point that any working of the Spirit in the born-again believer’s life cannot be controlled, coaxed, or manipulated. The reason I’m writing this now is because I powerfully felt the Spirit working through me last week, and whenever that happens, it leaves me wanting more once the overwhelming goodness, peace, love, and feeling of being alive in the fullest all fade. But I can do nothing to magnify the Spirit within; though he always lives in my heart, his power seems to ebb and flow like the wind.
Seeking God can be frustrating. Christians can regularly read the Bible, pray, fast, love their neighbors, and generously give, hoping that the Creator will reveal Himself in a new way in their hearts and lives. But we must understand that God is not a genie in a bottle: we can’t expect to rub the lamp in the right way so that out he’ll pop. Sometimes, we desperately need His peace, though, and it seems to be far away. Here I am, feeling the utter weakness of my flesh, flirting with seasonal depression again now that fall is here, and I’m faced yet again with the realization that, although the Spirit lives in me — the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead — I will always have to wrestle with the limitations of the body and mind of this meat-suit that I’m stuck with on this side of eternity.
Life is full of waiting, which is painful for someone as impatient as I am. I will never turn my back on God, but I have to admit (very wrongly) that sometimes I feel like He’s turned His back on me. If you ever feel this way too, try to calm yourself down as best you can and count your blessings. God’s goodness and love are all around us in some way or another. Read Psalm 23. Verse 4 reads, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” And verse 6 tells us, “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” We are always seen by God and strengthened through adversity, and the times we feel separated from Him set us up for new and greater fulfillment the next time that mysterious wind of the Spirit rushes in to remind us how powerful and good God really is. And even then, it’s only a small foretaste of our full eternal inheritance.
Stay strong, be patient, and keep the faith alive.