Feathers In The Wind

You could have knocked me over with a feather! I think this expression conveys a sense of surprise and even shock. Maybe you have said these very words at some point in life. The world we live in today is changing at warp speed. We live in an unstable world in unstable times. New challenges are emerging that create a sense of fear and dread in the most faithful among us. Some folks can hardly get through one crisis before they are rattled by another. Their hearts are unsettled. Their minds are troubled. Where can the people of God find their hope and help?
I was reminded of these things the other day when I was in the downtown area. As I walked along the sidewalk, feathers kept fluttering down from out of the sky. I looked to see where they were coming from and was surprised to see them coming from the top of one of the city street lights. A bird of prey, I think it was a hawk of some kind, had perched atop this light pole and had a smaller bird in his grip. I assumed the smaller bird was dead since the hawk was plucking and eating him in the process. Sorry to give you this gruesome word picture, but it illustrates the way some of us are living these days. I mean, times are pretty tough when a hawk has to travel to the city to get something to eat! Lately some of us have made some pretty dramatic adjustments in our lifestyles to survive just like that hawk. And some of us feel like we are being pursued, harassed, trapped, and constantly being plucked and picked over by circumstances beyond our control. It’s almost like someone is eating us for lunch, so to speak. The bad news is that the people of God have an enemy who is on the prowl seeking who he may devour. The good news is that we can consider the plan of God when all other plans are unraveling before our eyes:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. (Psalms 91:1-4)
I am living and praying lately for the reality of God knocking us over with a feather. As we rest in Him, being covered by His feathers, we can remember this surprising promise of God in the midst of all that tests our faith. God is faithful to His people. He is faithful to His word. He is with us. And He can be trusted with our trust.