What He is Weaving in the Wind

Wind whips wisps of hair 
into eyes blurred by despair; 
gusts grab my pulsing heart. 
Nearly toppling, 
scrambling for safe purchase, 
I scream . . .

DON’T BE AFRAID!
STAND UP,
THROW ROOTS
TO DEEP SOIL,
TWIRL THEM 'ROUND
ALL OBSTACLES—
GO FURTHER DOWN,
FURTHER IN;
WRAP THEM 'ROUND
MY LOVE!

KNOW THAT
I AM HERE
WITH YOU,
AWARE
ACTIVE INSIDE
THE TWISTERS,
WORKING 
MY RESCUE PLAN.

I rise, reach out,
send soul tendrils
into the silence
of rich loam,
plunge them further
into firm foundations,
wait to see
what he’s weaving
in the wind.

Think back: What gusts of wind hit you so forcefully, so unpredictably that you found yourself unsteady? I was walking in the neighborhood last week and felt that very thing. The chaos in our nation and around the world reminds me of such a moment. In addition to tornadoes and cyclones, there are wars and murders. The wind is blowing. That cloud on the horizon is eery. Where can we find that solid ground where our roots can go deep and hold us fast?

I woke up today and found out that overnight a plane crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea, and 179 of 181 passengers died. I always pray fervently when on a plane about to land, and I agree with the Africans on board who clap when we are safely cruising down the runway. The possibility of landing gear not working was only in my imagination, until today!

Last night I cruised my Facebook page and saw a post that told me one of my closest friends, Donna Halbert Harvey, had passed away the day before! The death of someone my own age, someone whose prayers and love I treasured, underlined for me that truth that we never know when life will be over.

Donna Halbert was the first other mk (missionary kid) friend that I made after my family transferred from Congo to Côte d’Ivoire in 1961. We were nine years old then. When we were about 12, I stayed with her several days in Korhogo where she lived. We were both yearning to grow in our relationship with Jesus, and read much of Ezekiel together. This struck us:

But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” (Ezek. 2:8 NIV)

Sitting together on her bed, we opened our mouths and asked God to fill them!

While at boarding school we had some misunderstandings. But when she returned to Côte d’Ivoire with her father for a visit after Glenn and I were already serving in mission there, we spent an evening together, reconciled and bonded deeply. Since then we’ve become prayer partners, even though we’ve never been geographically close to each other. Our last exchange was just one month before she died, and she sounded fine in spite of the multiple physical issues she has been dealing with! I did not expect to hear that the healing she hoped for was that she is now in the Joy!

So we enter a new year now, 2025, and wonder what it will be like, what else will happen. The truth is, we cannot know!  Our fears can accumulate: Will that loved one come to know Jesus or stay hardened? Will my immigrant friends be safe here in the U.S.? Will wise people be put in administrative positions in our government? Will the wars in Africa triple down to my beloved Nyarafolo region? What purpose does the Lord still have for me?

I think back to that moment when Donna and I told the Lord that we were ready to be filled by him, to know his words, live them out and speak them. That was 62 years ago and I am ready to be filled again, this time with the meal that he wants to give me in preparation for 2025. He is laying certain Scriptures on my heart:

Not to us, O LORD, not to us! But to your name bring honor, for the sake of your loyal love and faithfulness. ² Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” ³ Our God is in heaven! He does whatever he pleases! . . .¹¹ You loyal followers of the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their deliverer and protector. ¹² The LORD takes notice of us, he will bless– he will bless the family of Israel, he will bless the family of Aaron. ¹³ He will bless his loyal followers, both young and old. (Ps. 115:1-3,11-13 NET)

The world is whirling through space and the winds are blowing. God knows what is going on and he is still the one in charge of where it will go. I am one of the “old” ones following him. He knows that, and pays attention.  All my trust must be in him, our Lord Yahweh who loves us, takes notice of us, and will bless us.

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith– of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire– may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  (1 Pet. 1:3-9 NIV)

This is a timely reminder that trials will come, and they will prove the quality of our faith. If it is solid, it is a lasting hope, a confidence that actually brings us joy right now! That joy is not because we are happy with what is going on around us. Yes, there will be some good things. But world disasters and grief in our community are reality. So our faith, which is worth more than gold (which is of temporary value), needs to keep focused on the eternal truth that Jesus Christ is not finished! He is still our rescuer, and will return (in his own timing) to completely remake this world. This is who we believe in, and he is real.

Right now, he is still remaking us. Eyes on him, he will empower us to handle the turmoil brought by death, by hurts and disappointments, by catastrophes.

Torrential winds may blow, but rooted in him, we can “wait to see what he’s weaving in the wind!”