Wind is definitely a fickle, yet powerful thing. Anyone who has watched a kite whipping back and forth violently on a blustery day can see that. But despite the fickle, disturbing power of wind, there are still some hardy souls who willingly surrender their course to the wind each year as part of a harrowing race. Just a couple weeks ago, twenty teams of racers lined up in Montbeliard, France, and took to the air in gas balloons to see who could stay aloft the longest and fly the farthest. They were participants in the Annual Gordon Bennett Balloon Race, which started way back in the early days of flight in 1912. Competing in a balloon marathon like this is not a leisurely jaunt. These balloons have been known to travel for well over a thousand miles over the course of several days to a week. The aviators on board have to contend with rollercoaster thermals, sudden drops in air pressure, avoiding tall landmarks and buildings, and the scary unknown of where the wind is going to blow them. One team disappeared in a storm over the Adriatic Sea in 2010 and in 1995 the American team was shot down by a helicopter when they drifted over the territory of Belarus ("Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning),” n. d.). Each team takes to the air without knowing where they will end up. It’s the ultimate aerial adventure.
The ultimate adventure of life has to be the unknowns too. Even with a masterful human plan and all the resources money can buy, things can still go wrong. Psalm 33:16, 17 talk about this when they say, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.” But then the Psalmist presents our real source of hope when he says, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.” True, bad things do still happen to good people. But God promises to walk with us toward the ultimate future of eternal joy with Him as long as we’ll trust and honor Him. Revelation paints a frightening picture of end-time events. But even in the fearful pictures of a world nearing its end, Christ holds out to us the hope of His soon coming. We can leave our futures safely in His hands. He can see the ultimate course even though we are buffeted by the winds of this world.
Wikipedia contributors. "Gordon Bennett Cup (ballooning)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 6 Oct. 2019. Web. 11 Oct. 2019.