The Wind Blows Where It Wills: Understanding the Spirit’s Illumination
📖 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” — John 3:8
For years, I wrestled with understanding the timing of the Holy Spirit’s illumination. It wasn’t that I doubted His ability to reveal truth, nor that I resisted surrendering to Him, but rather that I struggled to grasp when and how He would illuminate certain truths to me. The process of appropriating Christ as life—of fully embracing the reality that it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20)—unfolded clearly in my understanding:
Surrender – yielding my self-effort, trusting Christ as my only life.
Faith – believing in what God has already declared true.
Obedience – allowing His life to be expressed through my actions.
Yet something lingered. Why do some truths take hold immediately while others seem to hover just out of reach? Why did knowing not always translate to seeing? My mentor, Dr. John Woodward, recently shared a thought that encapsulated this journey:
Christ / Holy Spirit in me / United with my new spirit, -> flowing through the soul via surrender and faith, -> demonstrated through the body in obedience (words and actions).
I resonated with this, yet I still found myself wrestling with the unpredictability of illumination. Then I reread John 3:8:
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus clarified what I had been reluctant to accept. The Spirit’s movement, much like the wind, is beyond my control. I may recognize His presence and see the evidence of His work, but I cannot dictate when or how He reveals truth. And that is precisely the point—He is sovereign.
Ezekiel 36:25–27 and Titus 3:5 affirm that this new birth involves a cleansing and renewal by the Spirit. It is not merely an intellectual ascent or even a deeply emotional experience; it is a divine work, operating on God’s terms. While natural birth brings one into an earthly family, spiritual birth—and its ongoing illumination—is an act of the Spirit, working in God’s perfect timing.
This realization marked a turning point for me. No longer would I wrestle with when illumination happens. Instead, I would simply trust. I would choose to walk in surrender, faith, and obedience, knowing that the Spirit’s work is always right on time.
An Illustration: The Stuck Counselee and the Wind of the Spirit
I once sat across from a counselee who was deeply frustrated. He had studied the exchanged life, grasped the concepts, and could even articulate them clearly. Yet, he wasn’t experiencing the freedom he had read about. “I believe it’s true,” he told me, “but I just don’t see it. I don’t feel it. It’s like I’m standing at the door of freedom, but I can’t seem to walk through.”
In moments like these, I’ve learned that no amount of explanation or reasoning can force illumination. It’s not a formula, nor is it about striving harder. I could see he was trying to make the truth real to himself—grasping at understanding instead of resting in the Spirit’s timing. I gently reminded him of John 3:8: “The wind blows where it wishes... so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
I shared a simple analogy: “Imagine a foggy morning where you know the sun is shining, but you can’t see it yet. You don’t have to make the sun rise; you simply wait, and in its time, the light breaks through. The Spirit’s illumination works in much the same way. Your role is not to force clarity, but to remain in surrender, faith, and obedience—trusting that in the perfect moment, God will cause you to see.”
A subtle shift happened. His shoulders relaxed, and his grip on control loosened. Instead of anxiously trying to experience the truth, he simply acknowledged that God was faithful to reveal it in His time. And sure enough, a few weeks later, I received a message: “I get it now. I don’t even know when it happened—it just clicked.”
That’s the beauty of the Spirit’s work. Illumination doesn’t come by force or by analyzing every angle—it comes in His perfect timing, as we rest in trust.
A Practical Reflection
Are there truths you acknowledge but have yet to see clearly?
How do you respond when the Holy Spirit’s illumination seems delayed?
Can you rest in the reality that the Spirit moves according to His wisdom, not yours?
Closing Prayer
Father, I rest in the certainty that Your Spirit illuminates truth in the perfect moment. I will no longer demand understanding on my terms, but will trust in Your sovereign work in my life. Thank You for uniting me with Christ, for leading me in surrender, faith, and obedience, and for revealing truth as You will. I rejoice in this journey, knowing that I am fully Yours. Amen.
📖 Excerpt from the Grace and Truth Study Bible & reflections from my mentor, Dr. John Woodward