“And then He said unto me, ‘Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, ‘Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.'” Ezekiel 7:9
There are several times in Scripture where we note that the Lord speaks to the wind. In the Song of Solomon, the “bridegroom,” speaks to the wind by saying: “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden that the spices thereof may flow out.” (4:16) This is a picture of the Lord’s desire for His beloved to know the blessed work of the Spirit by which the wind carries the fragrant aroma of Christ abroad, for all to know. It is that command for the blessing of the world, by the Spirit moving to carry upon the billows of air, the message and essence of the beauty of Christ, His power to save, and the good tidings of great joy which are now, since Pentecost, to be known to the extremities of the earth.
In another passage, that of Ezekiel 37, we find a situation that is without parallel in its portrayal of the life-less existence of Israel as a nation. Though the nation exists, there is no life. Their “bones are dried,” and as they declare: “…and our hope is lost: we are cut off or our parts.” (37:11) In other words they have been brought to the point in their minds and hearts to realize that they are not only lost, but lifeless, without the capacity to save themselves, and live. They are persuaded that they are abandoned by God, and they are on their own. It is into this picture that the Lord interjects Himself, His mercy, and the revelation of His means of meeting their need. He calls upon Ezekiel to speak to the “bones,” dried and lifeless, commanding them by God’s authority to hear the word of the Lord, and to live. Ezekiel obeyed, and the lifeless bones came together. However, they were still lifeless. It is then that the word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel again, commanding him: “Prophesy to the wind…declaring, “Thus saith the Lord.” These very simple words spoken by the Lord’s servant, according to God’s command, become the means by which the Spirit of God moves upon these bones, in somewhat the same manner that He did at the beginning of Creation, to breathe life into these lifeless bodies. The result would be that those bodies “… lived, and stood upon their feet, and exceeding great army.” (37:10) The point that must be made, and grasped, is that God is the God of the impossible. He is the Commander of life, having the creative and redemptive power of life and salvation. He speaks and the worlds are made, and by His mercy, the “dead in trespasses and sins” are made alive by the power of the Spirit of God.
The third example of “speaking to the wind,” is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter eight. The disciples and the Lord Jesus are crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat. A storm of wind comes down upon the water of the “lake,” and boat quickly filling with water. Fear gripped the disciples, who saw the raging of the water menacing their small ship, even their lives. The Lord Jesus, awakening from sleep during the storm, certainly exhausted from his previous days of ministering to the people, rises up and “…rebuked the wind, and the raging of the water.” (8:24) The result was very apparent: “…they ceased. and there was a calm.” So great was the surprise and astonishment of the disciples when they saw this that they said: “What manner of man is this! For He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him.” (v.25)
Whether speaking to the wind, or rebuking it, the will of God, His purpose, and means of blessing, are revealed. In all three examples, God speaking to the wind is essential for the Spirit of God to move. The result of that moving is blessing, salvation, and deliverance.
Dear Father, Grant that the “mighty wind of heaven,” Thy Holy Spirit, blow upon us today. In Jesus Name, Amen.