it's no easy feat to travel against the wind, or even perpendicular to its path.
in fact - as i experienced, the route can be downright chaotic; staying on course with a force so strong pummeling against the side of my vehicle sent pangs of fear as i skirted around semi-trucks in the opposite lane. i had to resist sailing to the left with both hands gripped firmly upon the steering wheel. the only comfort in the constant struggle to press directly forward was the assurance that eventually i would be able to park safely at home.
'the wind can be so fierce!'
yet as i thought this, my mind immediately drew me back to a time when i found peace in the midst of it:
it was one of those profound instances where you are almost certain that you can feel God whispering rest into your bones, wrapping you up in His presence... & even now, 12 years later, the memory is an experience.
towards the end of a ten-day mission trip centered around building homes in Juarez, Mexico, our group spent a couple of days at a reservoir in Elephant Butte, New Mexico for reflection. one of the activities that i was coerced into was para-sailing. (a woozying fear of heights has plagued me for as long as i can remember, despite multiple successes at showing that fear who is boss.) i had chosen to set out on the para-sailing boat along with a few of my peers. my intention, however, was to observe; i was convinced that the violence of the wind at such a height combined with my fear of elevation would make a nightmare of my 'retreat.' nonetheless, when the opportunity knocked, i reluctantly agreed to be strapped in and reeled out.
commence moment.
the higher i flew, the quieter it became... until i found myself enveloped by silence & stillness. the fact that i was not terrified as i had anticipated made me giddy; i could feel the joy bubbling up in my core, & my natural reaction was to sing praises! i recognized that God was there with me, showing me something that i would never have glimpsed had i listened to my fears. i was in the midst of His movement in that instant, & He had cloaked me with peace. i was so sure of His presence -- what my spirit recognized as the solution to all my wants -- that i strove to absorb that gift beyond my flesh, & even today this reminiscence speaks to my soul.
~
in the midst of the wind, there is quiet & refuge, but it is not for lack of motion. when we move with the greater force, we share in its victory. there can be calm there, but not of stagnant stillness. it's the eye of the hurricane, & that's where i want to be with Jesus. i needn't fear the chaotic forces of unrest when i rest in His presence, because at the heart of my being resounds His assurance. this is not to say that my circumstances won't be a struggle, but because He moves - with me, beyond me, encompassing me - i can know that the battle will be dominated by a strength greater than my own & in my direction -- or rather, i in His.
there is calm in the midst of great forces, & in the midst of the greatest force is where i long to reside. if i do not move with that force, though, i cannot hope to experience His peace.
may we move with the force that can & will change the world,
be it through the reassurance of soft whispers, reverberating songs of hope, or
bold proclamations of coming justice.
but whatever the movement, may we move WITH Him,
lest we sacrifice moments fighting the wind.
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"The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds His chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants." - Psalm 104:2-4
"When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses." - Jeremiah 10:13
"The men were amazed and asked, 'What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey Him!'" -Matthew 8:27
"'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.'" - Exodus 19:4
"Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.''" - Ezekiel 37:9
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31
"Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them." - Hoseah 14:9
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither -- whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! they are like chaff that the wind blows away... For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction." - Psalm 1:1-4,6
What powerful imagery of the strong force of Jesus which we are invited into, the fullness of life we can experience when we allow ourselves to be enveloped by him, and the relief that comes when we stop fighting his movement in our lives but rather allow ourselves to be swept up by his goodness.
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