Give to the Winds Thy Fears

As our culture and economy continue to struggle, here is a good word to start 2010. Some of you may recognize part of this from a Jars of Clay song:

Give to the winds thy fears;
Hope, and be undismayed;
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head;
Thro' waves and clouds and storms,
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou his time, so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.

Still heavy is thy heart?
Still sink thy spirits down?
Cast off thy weight, let fear depart,
And ev'ry care be gone.
What tho' thou rulest not,
Yet heav'n and earth and hell
Proclaim, "God sitteth on the throne,
And ruleth all things well."

Commit thou all thy griefs
And ways into his hands,
To his sure trust and tender care
Who earth and heav'n commands;
Who points the clouds their course,
Whom winds and seas obey;
He shall direct thy wan'dring feet,
He shall prepare thy way.
~Words by Paul Gerhardt (trans. John Wesley)