1st Peter 5:6-11
Cast all your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you... Verse 7

I was sitting at my computer the day the wind was blowing so fiercely (Wednesday?) and happened to look up and out my front door window in time to see a bird go by. This wasn't a normal fly by. I think it must have started to fly, maybe off the roof, but for some reason flew into the wind. At least that's my guess. The wind blocked this effort and it looks like it simply tossed him eastward past my window, facing west, tail down, somewhat vertical. I don't know what the bird was thinking, but I know I would be in a panic, out of control, scared. But I have a feeling that the instincts of the bird would take over and it would somehow flip over, right itself, put the wings out and go with the flow so to speak until it could find shelter in a tree, bush, or building overhang to take a breath and bring its heart rate back to normal. Well, that's what I would need if I were a bird.
     But how often have we tried to fly into the wind... maybe into the Pentecost Holy Spirit, and go a direction that we can't or shouldn't go. We might get along for a bit, but the struggle eventually wears us out as one obstacle after another blows us wildly off course. We can feel disoriented, panic in the face of not being totally in control, still trying to go the way we want to go and life tosses backwards, sometimes with a gentle nudge that stops our movement and turns us around, sometimes, like the bird in the wind, in a more violent, forceful way. How many storms have we been trying to find our way through just in the last 3 months, thinking we are going the way we should, only to get slapped backwards. After awhile our wings and our souls can become very weary. We pray for a place of refuge to reorient ourselves, find peace, and figure out what is going on.
     Our refuge is in Jesus Christ. Our peace is in God the Creator. Psalm 46:10 reminds us, "Be still and know that I am God." We find ourselves constantly battling the storms of life, fighting circumstances, fighting people around us, fighting struggles within us, crying out out in deep despair and helplessness. We need to cast all our anxiety on Jesus, let God hold us in the palm of His hand, and instead of trying to go our own way, allow the wind of the Holy Spirit to simply carry where we need to go, guide us in the directions we need, give us wisdom, actions and words to handle the storm, problem, anxiety, relationship, feelings. We need to figure out a way, like a bird, to right ourselves and spread our wings and feel the power of God to carry us and give us not just peace, but rest. Psalm 121 reminds us that our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)
     But it is often hard to do. It is hard to admit that we were going the wrong way, hard to let go of what paths we thought we needed to walk, hard to let go and let God. Sometimes its hard to even accept that we are worthy of Christ's love and think, "Who am I that Christ would care for me? I have screwed up, I haven't listened. I went the wrong way. I haven't trusted him to help me deal with it. I feel like God isn't going to help me with this, and why should my Lord?" But God loves you, Jesus loves you, faults and all, and wants you to cast your care on him, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. (Matthew 11:30).
     Remember... when Jesus and his disciples were in the boat on the Sea of Galilee and a fierce storm came up, tossing them around, the disciples all panicked, but Jesus continued to sleep. Jesus could sleep the deep sleep that comes with the peace of knowing that you are in God's hands and all will be well, no matter dark the days seem or how strong the winds blow. They had the most fearful thoughts, their brains went to the worst possible scenario, and when they woke him in a panic he calmed the storm, the winds died down and Jesus said to them (hopefully in a gentle, chiding way), "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:22-25)
    Are the winds and storms blowing in, around and through you? I think they are for all of us in this stressful time. Today Jesus wants to help calm the storm, slow down the fierce winds as they are calm today, give a chance to breathe, to think, to make course corrections if needed. A chance to show our trust in God by being still instead of flying fiercely into the wind, and know that God is God. "Where is your faith?"
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Through it all, through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all, I've learned to depend upon God's word.

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Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea,
Day by day his sweet voice soundeth, saying "Christian, follow me."