The Working Of Waves

JONATHAN EMBER, Lead Pastor
Diversity Church, Indianapolis 

The Holy Spirit is a part of the trinity or Godhead that people don't understand, we can use “Waves” as a symbol and analogy to relate the Holy Spirit to our lives.  

The most common way a wave is formed is by wind moving on the surface of water. That can be the ocean, rivers, lakes, puddles, or any surface of water.

There are two ingredients that make a wave: water and wind. Interesting enough, both of these ingredients are often compared to the Holy Spirit in scripture. Which make sense if you look at Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”*

The creation reveals the creator. A part of the creator is the Holy Spirit, so of course nature, including waves will reveal his workings in our life.

You can see this comparison of his wind and water in the beginning, Genesis 1:1-2. The Holy Spirit was doing work and had a function from the beginning until now and that working is similar to the working and function of waves of the earth.

Waves Pound Rocks And Erode Them

Waves Pound Rocks And Erode Them. My mom is very thankful for this function of waves and would share when we visited Michigan:

“In order for us to get this beautiful, smooth rock, it has to take a beating over time to smooth it, and shine it and erode the deformities.” This is the Holy Spirit’s primary work in our lives! Ezekiel 36:26, “I will remove the heart of stone…”*

How does this happen? When the Holy Spirit comes and starts hovering over your heart like he did in the book of Genesis.

I remember there was a season at the end of my senior year of high school into that summer where the Holy Spirit was hitting my hard heart over and over with his waves in order to break it. From watching the movie “Passion of the Christ”, a experience I had traveling to Hawaii, listening to “Hell’s Best Kept Secret”, receiving a Bible and reading it…. Wave after wave of the Spirit hitting my hard heart!

Waves Stabilize Climate Temps

Did You know that waves help stabilize the extremes in the planet’s temperatures? Cold water from the North and South Poles are moved toward the equator while warm water from the equator is moved towards them! There is nothing that helps any climate like the Holy Spirit! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty!

The Holy Spirit will take an environment and when it is too stuck up, he will bring humility. He will take an environment that is too holier than thou and will bring compassion and reliability. He will change an environment that is too loose and free and bring gravity and honor. He will take an environment of disorder and create one of order and structure.

What did Jesus bring to environments? He knows what your house needs more of, your work needs more of, this church needs more of… and he provides it with his presence through his people!

I want people to feel whatever wave God’s Spirit is bringing for whatever they lack in their life! I pray this over the church. Like in Isaiah 11, we lack wisdom, we lack might, we lack reverence?

Waves Provide Renewable Energy

Nonrenewable energy sources are things like oil, or gas that burn up when you use them. Renewable energy sources are things like wind and water that the environment creates and renews itself. Scientist actually harness the energy from waves and use it for power. This is another reason we need to become best friends with the Holy Spirit! He is our renewable energy source every day of our life!

Jesus said in John 14:16, 'And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, '* He is our helper! With everything! He is a helper with unlimited power! We just need to learn how to harness His power. One of the ways that waves are used to harness electrical power is through a float or buoy system. In this system buoys are created with hydraulic pumps so when the wave or swell comes it activates the pump which is converted to electricity that is sent back to shore through cable. If we learn to position ourselves everyday and let the Holy Spirit empower us, we will have the strength to do whatever God has called us to do. “Not by Might, nor by our power but by the Spirit!,”* Zechariah 4:6

We just have to learn how to float and wait for the waves of His presence. We would be so much stronger if we did!

*ESV brought to you by Crossway (a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers)