We fear the storms of life.

The real ones.

Trust me. I know. I live in tornado alley.

Each spring my wife, our dogs, and I spend a few afternoons or evenings in our basement next to the weather radio as sirens go off.

Two years ago, in early December, we found ourselves huddling in a theater basement with a few hundred other folks as a tornadic supercell moved through the region. We were there for a Christmas concert. The concert still went on, and it was all the more beautiful because of the shared experience…. but the band has yet to return. (Looking at you, Over the Rhine…). I digress.

Storms are scary. Both the real ones and the other storms life brings. You know the ones. The ones that can be even less predicable. Not tornadoes or supercells, but job changes, relationship issues, or the illness of a loved one.

A storm comes. An unexpected phone call with an unwelcomed diagnosis, a pink slip, word that someone you love is moving, a senseless loss, or the ramifications of our bad decisions…. all storms. All basically unpredictable, all with the power to bring pain.

And we suddenly feel unmoored. Tossed by the unexpected winds. Unsure which way is up and wondering if it’d be easier to simply turn tail and run than turn into the storm and face the winds headlong.

The things we put our faith in, we rely upon for happiness and peace, all are prone change or break. None are eternal.

Just a year ago, my wife and I were navigating a cancer scare (I wrote about it here). We got through it. Yes, it was scary. Yes, there was fear. But, we got to the other side of it. And she is ok. But for whatever reason, in spite of how often I am carried through the storms, I still fear them.

I’m realizing I shouldn’t be afraid. Yes, storms are powerful and dangerous things. Yes. They are scary.

But if I truly believe in the God of the Bible, then I must believe He is more powerful than the storms. And, I must also believe He knew the storm was coming even when I didn’t. The storm may have caught me by surprise, He wasn’t surprised.

And, if the Bible shows us anything, it shows us that storms are to be expected. They’re part of life.

So maybe you’re facing some storms tonight. Maybe the holidays are overshadowed by something unexpected lurking around the edges. Maybe someone is missing. Maybe you’re living someplace new and you’ve not found “home” yet. Or maybe you live at home, but it doesn’t feel like it. Or maybe you’re facing something huge that left you breathless, whatever it is….

The God of the Bible is bigger than the storm you’re facing.

Sometimes He calms the storms that surround us, and sometimes He gets in the boat with us and says…

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together.”

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