(October 2002 TG Entry: Wind. Given as a talk at the baptism of Marcy Alfaro)
Overview
Wind can be either beneficial (the Spirit of the Holy Ghost or a force for good) or detrimental (the East or destroying wind).
I God Controls the Wind
God is the maker of the Winds. He controls them for his purposes
7 For I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea, and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains—Depart hence—and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly.
8 My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee.
- Ps. 147:18 he causeth his w. to blow
Come, All Whose Souls Are Lighted (268) Verse 3 Go tell, ye winds, his story, And mighty waters, roll, Till, like a sea of glory, It spreads from pole to pole; Till o'er our ransomed nature, The Lamb for sinners slain, Redeemer, King, Creator, In bliss returns to reign.
II God will Destroy the Wicked with Wind
The Lord will use the Winds to test the wicked
7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
16 For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to strive with their fathers; and they are without Christ and God in the world; and they are driven about as chaff before the wind.
17 They were once a delightsome people, and they had Christ for their shepherd; yea, they were led even by God the Father.
18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.
- Prov. 11:29 He … shall inherit the w.
- Prov. 25:23 north w. driveth away rain
- *Jer. 4:11 dry w. … not to fan
- Jer. 5:13 prophets shall become w.
- Jer. 51:1 I will raise up against Babylon … a destroying w.
- Eph. 4:14 carried about with every w. of doctrine
- James 1:6 wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the w.
- Alma 37:15 (Morm. 5:16, 18) Satan, that he may sift you as chaff before the w.
- D&C 90:5 stumble and fall … when the storms descend and the w. blow
Oh Say, What Is Truth? (272) Verse 3 The sceptre may fall from the despot's grasp When with winds of stern justice he copes. But the pillar of truth will endure to the last, And its firm rooted bulwarks outstand the rude blast And the wreck of the fell tyrant's hopes. We Are Sowing (216) Verse 1 We are sowing, daily sowing Countless seeds of good and ill, Scattered on the level lowland, Cast upon the windy hill; Seeds that sink in rich, brown furrows, Soft with heaven's gracious rain; Seeds that rest upon the surface Of the dry, unyielding plain;
III But the Righteous will be gathered from the wind
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, cart thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
7 Yea, verily I say unto you again, the time has come when the voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
- Matt. 24:31 (JS-M 1:37) gather together his elect from the four w.
- Matt. 7:25 (3 Ne. 11:40; 14:25; 18:13) floods came, and the w. blew
- Matt. 8:26 (Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24) he … rebuked the w. and the sea
- Matt. 14:24 (Mark 6:48) waves:for the w. was contrary
- Rev. 7:1 four angels … holding the four w. of the earth, that the w. should not blow
- Alma 26:6 neither shall they be driven with fierce w.
Master, the Tempest Is Raging (105) Chorus The winds and the waves shall obey they will: Peace, be still. Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea Or demons or men or whatever it be, No waters can swallow the ship where lies The Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, be still; peace, be still. They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, peace, be still. Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer (103) Verse 3 Precious Savior, dear Redeemer, Thou wilt bind the broken heart. Let not sorrow overwhelm us; Dry the bitter tears that start. Curb the winds and calm the billows; Bid the angry tempest cease. Precious Savior, dear Redeemer, Grant us everlasting peace.
IV And they will blessed with the needed wind
The Lord has blessed numerous people, in miraculous journeys with wind.
- He blessed Noah, that it would dry the grown before him. (Gen. 8:1 God made a w. to pass over the earth).
- He blessed the Children of Israel as they fled Egypt, by destroying the pharaoh’s army (Ex. 15:10 Thou didst blow with thy w).
- He “blessed Jonah with a wind, to help him do what he should have been doing (Jonah 1:4 Lord sent out a great w. into the sea).
- He blessed Lehi’s family with a wind to move them to the Promised Land (1 Ne. 18:8 were driven forth before the w.)
- And he blessed the Jared, his brother and the other families as they too traveled to the promised land (Ether 2:24 w. have gone forth out of my mouth and Ether 6:5 God caused that there should be a furious w.)
And how can the Lord do these things? How can something so strong any mighty as wind be a blessing? Because, the Lord gives us the means to control and use the wind.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
[See Conference Talk “I will be the Lord’s Wind”]
All Creatures of Our God and King (62) Verse 2 Thou rushing wind that art so strong, Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along, Alleluia! Alleluia! Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice; Ye light of evening, find a voice, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
V That Safe Port is the Wind of His Spirit
The Savior spoke to Nicodemus about being baptized.
1 THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 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.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
As we observe the wind that blows, we cannot say where it comes from, or where it stops. I believe the Savior was suggesting that there is a spiritual wind that blows constantly. But only those who are sensitive to it can feel it.
How might we become sensitive to that spiritual wind? The Savior said the being born of water and of the Spirit would do that. He was referring to baptism. Baptism is an ordinance.
- Ordinances. Participating in the ordinances of the gospel is the most important thing we can do to become sensitive to that spiritual wind. Other ordinances include:
- Baptism
- Partaking of the sacrament
- Priesthood blessings
- Temple ordinances
- Prayer makes us sensitive to the spiritual wind
- Scripture study makes us sensitive as well
- And listening to the words of modern prophets and apostles helps make us sensitive.
When we are baptized, the next ordinance is the bestowal of the Gift of the Hold Ghost. When we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost we may be filled with a mighty, rushing wind. We are the temples of the Lord.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
We may have an experience similar to the one the prophet prayed for at the dedication of the Kirtland temple, or the experience on the day of Pentecost.
37 And let thy house be filled, as with a rushing mighty wind, with thy glory.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
But for some, the bestowal of the Gift of the Holy Ghost simply increases our capacity to feel that spiritual wind. It makes us more sensitive, over time. And sometimes the change is almost imperceptible. The Savior, speaking from Heaven prior to his appearance to the Nephites said.
20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
And why is this? Because the wind we speak of is not the same as the wind we feel outside. It is a quiet wind, a still wind, a still small voice.
11 And he [the Lord] said [to Elijah], Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
- Eccl. 11:4 He that observeth the w. shall not sow
- Ezek. 37:9 Prophesy unto the w.
Summary
The Lord is all-powerful, and will bless us with the good wind, and protect us from the destroying wind.
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Be Still, My Soul (124) Verse 2 Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; All now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Kip on Character 