The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. The man prayed for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none came. The man was exhausted but he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood for protection and a place to store his provisions. But one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived at his temporary home to find it in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened. Everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "How could God do this to me?" he cried. Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. When they arrived he asked, "How did you know that I was here?" "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. (from Homiletics, February 2008)

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it wills." Or, in other words, God acts on our behalf in ways that are beyond our comprehension and imagination. We like to believe that we are in control of our lives but obviously we are not.

One thing I have learned in ministry is that few people are directly changed because of me. In fact, most people seem to go on living their lives as if nothing has happened. I have come to accept the fact that being born again means I cannot change others. They have to be open to God's spirit just as I have to be open to the spirit. To live in God's light is a matter of letting the "wind blow where it will."