Built for the Wind: Answering God’s Call

When I look at the banana spider, also known as the golden silk orb-weaver, I see more than another creature in nature—I see evidence of God’s wisdom. This spider produces strong, durable, and flexible silk and uses it to construct a large web capable of enduring wind, rain, and changing weather. The spider does not attend a class or read instructions before building. It works according to the ability God placed within it. According to the University of Georgia, the golden silk orb-weaver’s threads are remarkably strong and capable of capturing large insects.

The spider’s web reminds me that God created every living thing with purpose. Genesis 1:25 says, “And God made the beast of the earth after his kind…and God saw that it was good.” God gave the spider what it needed to accomplish its purpose. In a similar way, God has placed gifts, abilities, and a calling within each of us.

Ephesians 2:10 declares, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We are God’s workmanship. We were not created accidentally or placed on this earth without a purpose. Before we understood our calling, God already knew the work He intended for us to do.

However, having a calling does not automatically mean we will walk in it. We must surrender to God, listen for His direction, and respond obediently. Paul told Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee” (2 Timothy 1:6). God provides the gift, but we must be willing to use it. We should ask Him to reveal, awaken, and strengthen the mission He has placed within us.

I understand what it means to run from God’s calling. Like Jonah, I spent a long time going in the opposite direction. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, but Jonah attempted to flee from the presence of the Lord. His disobedience led him into a storm and eventually into the belly of a great fish. Nevertheless, God did not abandon Jonah. After correcting him, God spoke to him again: “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee” (Jonah 3:2).

Jonah’s story encourages me because it demonstrates that our failures do not cancel God’s faithfulness. God could have chosen someone else, but He gave Jonah another opportunity to obey. I believe God has also given me another opportunity. For years, I carried this calling while wrestling with grief, fear, uncertainty, and my own feelings of inadequacy. Yet God continued to call me back.

Answering God does not mean I believe I will never make a mistake. It means I have decided that my weaknesses will no longer be an excuse for disobedience. My prayer is, “Yes, Lord. I surrender fully. I may sometimes fail, but Your love never fails. You will never leave me or forsake me.”

Hebrews 13:5 confirms God’s promise: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” This does not mean the journey will always be easy or that we will never experience storms. It means we will not face those storms alone. Just as the spider’s web is designed with the flexibility to endure movement, God develops spiritual endurance within us through His Word, prayer, faith, and obedience.

Jesus said that the wise person hears His words and obeys them. When the rain fell, the floods came, and the winds beat upon that person’s house, it did not fall because it was founded upon a rock (Matthew 7:24–25). The strength of the house was revealed during the storm. In the same way, the strength of our faith is demonstrated when life becomes difficult.

God provides the tools we need, but we must build according to His instructions. We cannot ask God to bless our plans while ignoring His Word. Proverbs 3:5–6 teaches us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Following God requires more than giving Him the convenient parts of our lives. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). True surrender means giving God our plans, fears, failures, gifts, time, and future. It means saying yes even when we do not know every detail of the journey.

Our sufficiency does not come from our own strength. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). At the same time, Paul testified, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). These verses remind us that the power to fulfill our calling comes from remaining connected to Christ.

God is able to do “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” according to His power working within us (Ephesians 3:20). This promise is not simply about receiving material abundance. It is about God supplying the grace, strength, wisdom, courage, and resources necessary to accomplish what He has called us to do.

I believe sharing God’s Word each week is part of His mission for my life. I do not claim to have every answer, and I know I will continue learning and growing. But I am ready to stop running. My desire is to use my testimony, including my pain, failures, and restoration, to help someone else recognize the purpose God has placed within them.

The wind will come. The weather will change. The work will not always be easy. But when our lives are anchored in Christ, God will give us what we need to remain faithful.

The banana spider builds because God placed that ability within it. Now it is time for us to ask: What has God placed within me, and am I willing to say yes?

Prayer: Lord, reveal the purpose You have placed within me. Forgive me for the times I have run from Your calling. Teach me to trust Your Word, surrender completely, and faithfully use the gifts You have given me. When the winds of life come, keep me anchored in Christ. My answer today is yes, Lord. Use my life to help others and bring glory to Your name. Amen.