The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1)
My father once stood in the center of a tornado and lived to tell about it.
The summer I turned twelve, a thunderstorm developed right over our heads after dark. When my mom, sisters, and I heard a sound like a freight train coming, we ran to the basement for shelter. My dad, however, had been working in his shop out in the barnyard. We had no time to warn him.
Seconds after the storm passed, my dad walked into the house with a look of wonder on his face and related what had happened.
Finishing his work, he had stepped outside and was met with an incredible sight. Trees were being ripped out of the ground all around him. It was as if a giant, invisible hand was lifting them by their roots and tossing them to the ground. Yet there was absolute silence where he stood, and not a breath of wind. All he could figure was that he was in the eye of a tornado that had briefly formed directly over him and then pulled back up into the clouds.
In this psalm, David expressed a bold confidence in God’s protection, even when threats are real and death is imminent. When chaos surrounds God’s people, they can find stillness and peace in the eye of the storm; for Christ’s presence is all they need.
Don’t let the dangers around you make you doubt God’s presence.
Laura Hurd is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and holds a master’s degree from Wesley Seminary [IN]. She pastors with her husband, Jason, in rural Nebraska.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
