Walking through my neighbourhood streets on Wednesday evening, one last time before I bunkered down with my little ones to endure the storm, I was struck by the power of the wind.

A Bermudian tradition seems to be that we pull into a lay-by or brave a walk on the beaches to witness first-hand the force of hurricane winds turning our peaceful oceans into roaring seas. As I felt the pressure of the wind all around me, my mind shifted from being mesmerised by its strength to being in awe of the Holy Spirit.

The Bible likens the wind to the Holy Spirit several times. Notably in John 3:8 (ESV): “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.”

As I headed home, I thought to myself that, in my experience, sometimes the Holy Spirit is calm, providing peace and comfort — like zero-knot, stillwater days. Other times, the awareness of Its presence is undeniable, like a hurricane.

At times, the storm may come as conviction, bringing growth and transformation. Other times it can be a deep impression to act or obey. Intrigued by this comparison, I wanted to understand the science of wind and its likeness to the Holy Spirit and Its work. It is my privilege to share that exploration with you, my lovely island home, in this devotional thought.

Air is the invisible mixture of gases around us, mostly nitrogen and oxygen. It is what we breathe. The atmosphere is the blanket of air that surrounds the entire Earth — always present, even when we don’t notice it.

It has been a while since I was in school learning about the wind, so to refresh my memory I asked ChatGPT to explain it to me. In short, wind is air in motion, driven by pressure differences. “Zero-knot wind” is calm air — not the total absence of motion, but too calm to count as measurable wind.

The simple explanation was this: “Wind happens because of imbalances: warm air here, cooler air there, high pressure in one spot, low in another. The movement of air (wind) is nature’s way of balancing those differences.”

My curiosity was quenched and, with this refreshed understanding, I immediately thought of the atmosphere as God’s presence — always present, even when we don’t notice or acknowledge Him.

Air reminded me not only of the literal breath of life (Genesis 2:7) but also of the Holy Spirit empowering our spiritual life — the miracle of transformation from death in the flesh to life in the Spirit. But what struck me most is that wind is nature’s response to imbalance — the differences of pressure.

When God created the human race, we were made in perfect harmony and balance with Him and His government, rooted in His perfect love. Created in God’s image, we were also created to grow and learn.

When Adam and Eve trusted their own understanding over God’s word, they brought the human race under the condition of sin. From then on, both humanity and the Earth itself experienced an imbalance.

This caused the Holy Spirit’s work to include not only enlightening us to learn and understand God’s word and ways but also performing the miracle of transformation from unbelief to belief — to convict, impress, and empower.

As humans, we experience many different forms of pressure: temptations from the enemy (Ephesians 6:12), encouragement from holy angels, and the pressures of life — financial, professional, social, and familial.

We have busy and calm seasons, joyful and sombre seasons. The highs and lows allow us to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit in different ways.

Just as wind is nature’s way of balancing pressure differences, the Holy Spirit is God’s way of balancing our relationship to sin — declaring us dead to it — by empowering us to understand, receive, and believe our relationship with Him through Jesus Christ and His completed work on the Cross. “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

Across this beautiful island, some of us live on hilltops, some are tucked into valleys, and some dwell on level ground. We all endure the same hurricane, but experience it differently. The force of wind on the hill will be different from that in the valley, but it is the same storm.

Likewise, we are all enduring the reality of living in a world of sin — trials and tribulations — but we also have access to, and are pursued and empowered by, the same Holy Spirit. It moves differently in each of us according to the uniqueness of our walk, our openness to God’s voice, our needs, our growth, and our calling.

Finally, just as the hurricane exposes weak branches in nature — ripping away what is not meant to stay attached, leaving behind what is healthy, and clearing the way for new growth — the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit does the same in our lives.

It exposes strongholds of people and habits, aiming to separate us from that which threatens our attachment to God, and clearing the way for us to experience new life in Jesus Christ and the growth of the fruits of the Spirit.

As I continue to ponder these thoughts, my goal is to spark awe for the gift of the Holy Spirit and Its work in our lives.

To encourage those who may need to hear the promise that the Holy Spirit has been given to us (John 14:16—17, 26) to do in us the work we cannot do ourselves — to empower us to co-labour with God in our salvation and in the walk of others.

To give us faith to trust that Jesus will complete the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). And to remind us that He has already completed His work on the Cross — victory over sin — and that in Christ, we begin where He finished, in His victory.

I pray that everyone remained safe during Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda, and that you are encouraged by this thought.

Blessings,

Chelsea