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by James Collins

“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

Many years ago, my wife and I owned a home in Oklahoma that sat on ten acres of land. There is a drawback to having that much land. It must be mowed. Over the years, I tore up two or three riding lawnmowers trying to keep the grass and weeds cut back.  

One day, I had an idea. I decided to put a belly mower on a tractor. I went to the John Deere Dealership and purchased a tractor. It was a 75-horsepower turbo diesel. 

By itself, the tractor was powerful. Then I rigged up a 72-inch lawn mowing system with six cutting blades. It became even more powerful.  

When I started the mower, it made a powerful noise. VROOM! All the cats in the neighborhood took off running. It was awesome! 

One day, I was out on my souped-up tractor. My wife, Amanda, was out in the yard supervising me. She yelled over the noise of the tractor engine, “Be careful, that contraption has a lot of power.” I screamed back, “I’m a grown man. I know what I’m doing.”  

The tractor was incredibly powerful. As I was mowing, it was cutting down everything. Pieces of grass and weeds were flying all over the place. A cloud of clippings, shavings, and dirt rolled out from behind the mower. It was powerful. I accidentally ran over several fruit trees. Branches, leaves, and smoke flew everywhere. It was intense! 

We had a little concrete yard gnome. I wasn’t paying attention. I ran over the gnome. Chunks of concrete and dust flew all over the yard.  

My wife and I had two different reactions. She said, “Oh no!” I said, “Oh yes! That was the coolest thing that I have ever seen! I can get her another yard gnome, but that was powerful!” 

To this day, I still can’t explain all the workings of a John Deere 75-horsepower turbo diesel tractor with a 72-inch belly mower. I just know when I pushed the gas pedal, a wind blew that I can’t describe. I just know it was exciting. 

The Spirit of God is powerful and exciting. Anything of eternal value comes through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. You can’t live the Christian life in your own power. You need the power of the Holy Spirit to get the job done. 

The point is: Just like that tractor, I can’t describe the Wind of God. I just know when the Wind blows in, it sure is exciting. When the Holy Spirit blows in, God blows sluggish saints off their seats, God blows sleeping souls down the aisle, and God saves the lost. When the Holy Spirit blows in, God blows away self-centeredness, God blows away self-righteousness, God blows in revival.  

It is my prayer for the Wind to blow. Will you join me in praying for the Holy Spirit to blow revival into our world, into our nation, into our state, and into our community? Will you join me in praying for the Holy Spirit to blow revival into our hearts? 

Lord, send a great revival, and let it begin in me.

James Collins

James Collins is a pastor, writer, and columnist. Find out more about his ministry at www.thepointis.net.