The Bible often uses pictures to help us to understand God. The Holy Spirit is described as wind, fire, water and as a dove to help us to understand more of His nature and purposes.
Spirit, wind, breath
The Hebrew word for spirit (ruach), like the Greek word (pneuma), can also mean wind or breath. The Holy Spirit is often likened to breath (which we associate with life, because when we stop living, we stop breathing and vice versa!) or to wind. In Acts 2:2, we read ‘a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.’ The Holy Spirit is, in many ways, ‘like a breath of fresh air.’ He brings life and newness and freshness to all that we do. Job says that ‘the Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life’ (Job 33:4), and we need the Holy Spirit as breath or wind to give us life. Jesus used this metaphor when talking to Nicodemus (John 3:1-8) and reminded us that we need the breath of the Holy Spirit if we are to be born again as God’s children. Our prayer is ‘breathe on me, breath of God, fill me with life anew’ every day. Not only does the Holy Spirit breathe on us when we first come to know Jesus, He continues to breathe on us and make us spiritually alive as we continue our journey of faith.
Fire
On the Day of Pentecost, ‘they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.’ (Acts 2:3) Fire is wild and uncontrollable and can seem terrifying to us. It is often used to describe God (who is a ‘consuming fire’ Heb 12:29) and speaks of purification and purging. It also symbolises the energy and fuel for our service. Rom 12:11 tells us ‘never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord’, allowing His energy to burn within us.
Living Water
Jesus said ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink’ (John 7:37) and told people ‘Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ (John 7:38), a reference to the Holy Spirit. God is the only One who can satisfy all our longings and our thirsts. We often try to find satisfaction in all kinds of ways, but God wants us to know that He will never disappoint us, never let us down, never abandon us or forsake us. The crowds were bewildered by what they saw and heard on the Day of Pentecost, to the extent that they made fun of the disciples, thinking they were drunk! God’s life is better than wine, better than anything we can ever imagine. He wants to give us living water that satisfies.
Dove
When Jesus was baptised, ‘heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.’ (Matt 3:16; see also Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-34) The dove was a symbol of gentleness and peace, but to the Jews it was also a sin offering which the poor could give to God if they could not afford to give a lamb. (Lev 5:7, Luke 2:22:24) Jesus’s sacrifice paves the way for us to be reconciled to God (see Heb 7:27) and because of this, we have peace with God. The dove is the symbol of peace, a peace God brings which transcends all understanding (see Phil 4:4-7). The Holy Spirit is able to give us peace even when all around us is in turmoil and our hearts are anxious and fearful.
