
The Winds of Fate by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
One ship drives east and another drives west With the self-same winds that blow; ‘Tis the set of the sails And not the gales That tells them the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the winds of fate As we voyage along through life; ‘Tis the set of the soul That decides its goal And not the calm or the strife.
It's amazing how one can find the wind refreshing on one day, and annoying on the other. I suppose the consistency, and the strength of the wind also plays a part. A hurricane is not the same as a gentle breeze and a short squall before storm is not the same as the incessant blowing of an ocean gale. The temperature of wind also affects us, a hot berg wind is not the same as an icy, penetrating draught.
For many of us in Southern Africa, August is associated with the “August winds”. This may conjure up wonderful, idealized ideas of kites and children whiling away hours in the park, against the beautiful blue African sky. We know that winds are beneficial in many spheres from transportation, to weather and climate, to drying our washing and to wind turbines in machinery.
However, in our own personal lives, winds of change can often be deeply upsetting and can throw us quite off kilter from what we thought our intended route in life was. These winds may be small and unsuspecting, or they may come as a tornado which decimates us, they may be one quick scenario which throws us off, or they may be a sustained onslaught of trial after trial which slowly breaks us down, erodes our courage and sometimes, even our will to continue.
Jesus is no stranger to the ills which befall us. He can “sympathise with our weakness” (Hebrews 4 vs 15) He, himself, walked these dusty streets and experienced all manner of relational difficulties and betrayals. Those very closest to Him frequently misunderstood Him, judged Him incorrectly and couldn’t understand the calling that He had. In fact, many of his closest friends and family, frequently tried to dissuade Him and convince to go in other ways than that which He knew He was called to. He is our High Priest who can understand us, sympathises with us who provides us with a safe place, in Himself to turn to and to escape the things which plague us.
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Mark 4 vs 35-41 ESV

If you are facing a storm or even the winds of change continue to blow in your life, we can take courage in knowing that:
1) The Lord is sovereign over all things
As we see in Mark, Jesus is amid the squall and the storm, and yet He lies peacefully as the disciples are terrified and in great despair. We would do well to remind ourselves that the Lord Whom we know, and are greatly loved by, is also the same Lord who spoke the wind and the waves into being. It is all under His control and ultimately for His glory. He is not surprised by the turbulence of this world which so takes us by surprise, and He knows all things. We must rely on the promise of His sovereignty and His care for us, no matter the circumstances.
Arthur Golden reminds us that, "Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are." I would say that adversity also teaches us to see the Lord clearer and to turn our eyes and our gaze to Him, when during times of ease, we may easily be distracted from this. God will sometimes use the “winds” of life to expose or hearts and our motivations and to again centre ourselves on Him.
2) No wind lasts for ever
Percy Bysshe Shelley in His poem, Ode to the West Wind, reminds us, “"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" As we see in nature, the seasons continue to pass in ordered format, and each hard season is hopefully followed by an easier one. Perhaps, on this side of eternity, you will only experience suffering and hardship, but oh dear Christian, heaven is in sight. All will be made right for you, as you trust the Lord.
We are so quick, as finite, and fallible beings, to struggle under the discomfort and uneasiness that hardship brings, and yet, we cannot enjoy the mountaintops if we do not also experience the valleys. As Diane Lane observed, "All the lessons are in nature. You look at the way rocks are formed - the wind and the water hitting them, shaping them, making them what they are. Things take time, you know?" We need to know that God is using all our present suffering for our good and for His glory. It may seem insurmountable and so painful at the time, but we will see how His hand has expertly crafted and led us, through each day of our lives. He is trustworthy, good and kind and His ways are far above ours. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on Him and await the change of season, secure in His hands.
3) We are not alone
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
Psalm 139 vs 7-10
No matter where we go, or what we face, He is with us. We have an Advocate in heaven, who intercedes for us. He has given us Himself in the Holy Spirit to be filled and overflowing with His fullness. He has done all to reconcile us to Himself and now walks with us daily. No matter your circumstance, this should cause a joy to well up in our hearts--we are loved, forgiven, justified, freed, united to Him and we have access to His righteousness, joy, peace, and all He is, in every circumstance.
He has also given us the Body of Christ to walk this life out together with. Can I encourage you if you aren’t meeting regularly with a local church body, to make this an urgent and pointed goal? The Lord has given us each other to encourage and spur on to all He has for us. We cannot function for long outside a healthy, bible-believing, gospel-preaching church. We need each other. It will be messy, and at times painful, but this does not outweigh the importance of growing in community with our eyes fixed on Jesus. Maybe for some of us, that also means that we need to be seeking a different church to meet with.
4) We can use our challenging times for our growth and His glory
Sometimes all we need is a change of perspective when we regard our challenges. As James Dean said, "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." Perhaps you aren’t sure what your destination is, but you can be sure that God is using these situations to grow your character, to increase your reliance on Him, and to lead you to the place He wants you to be for the season ahead. Sometimes, I think we would do well to remind ourselves that though challenging, painful, hard and sore, these are often the times of greatest growth in our lives and we often see the most fruit borne from them.
Bruce Lee reminds us that "Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind." We need to remain flexible and pliable in the Lord’s hands. We sometimes cannot see what He is doing but we can know that He is working and that we can trust Him. We only hurt ourselves more with our rigid inflexibility and that is the thing that will break us.
It has certainly been true of my life, that those things that I found most challenging were often used later to encourage and strengthen someone else who was also struggling with something similar. Let us not forget to use these times to shine Christ’s light to all around us, whether in our home, in our church or our wider community. Many have been brought to Christ by the testimony of watching a Christian under pressure, and how they handle that circumstance.
5) We never need to doubt God’s care of us
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope..
And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5 vs 3-5
Jesus, Lord of all Creation, He who knows the stars by name, and carries the oceans in His hand, came to earth as a mewling baby, and the suffered excruciating pain on the cross as He took all of our sin on Himself. He then rose again, in glorious triumph over death and sin, and made the way open to us to come to the Father and be reconciled to Him. Then, He also left us with the Holy spirit here on earth, that we might have a Helper, Comforter and Counselor who will help us navigate this world. Jesus also continues to advocate and pray for us. Oh, how Glorious and Wonderful He is! Let us find our hope and security in Him and know to the core of ourselves, how greatly loved we are!
May you know today, my friend, His great love for you, His great work in your life, to grow you and to make you more like Him, perhaps using these difficult circumstances to grow your perseverance, character and hope. Be encouraged that this wind will not last forever, and even if the hardships do endure, we can look forward to heaven with great courage and longing. There, there will be no hardships or the difficulties of this world.
(If you enjoyed this topic and would like to delve further into it for your Mother Culture time this month, I have created a printable which contains some poems, art, recipes, music and book suggestions around this 'Wind' theme. Please feel free to download it here. I hope you enjoy the selections!)
What a great encouragement and reminder. Thank you 💛