Do not pray that the winds be stilled...

On the 2003/2007 BCS Choir Tours, we sang at the Zuni Christian School. These are the opening words from their latest Prayer Bulletin:

Wind. it's the trademark of spring in New Mexico. Last week, the
wind blew with a vengeance. Grit blasts the playground, leaving a
chicken like me opting for indoor recesses. Sand seeps in through
window casings, cracks in the walls and under doors. Dunes pile up
on the sidewalk in front of the school entry. Wind sets me on edge
and I confess to ill-tempered wondering: "What is the good of
wind?" Yesterday, having taken the precaution of wearing my glasses
instead of my contact lenses, I walked the mesa trail in the blustery
wind, pondering that question. I looked up at the fabulous splendor
of DowaYalanne. Aha! There was a reason for the wind. Centuries of
wind throwing billions of abrasive sand particles against the sides
of the mesa sculpted the beauty that I drink in every day! That
thought calmed and pleased me.

And what of the unsettling and sometimes terrifying winds that blow
through our lives? Will they not shape us into a beautiful people of
God? As you pray for us this month, do not pray that the winds be
stilled. Instead, pray that we may, through every adversity, be
shaped into the lovely image of Christ.