This week, as I lay in bed listening to the powerful, howling winds sweeping across our verdant valley, I wondered, how could anything be left standing?
The winds can be so strong my neighbor calls it the “NASA Wind Tunnel.”
When the howling finally stopped, I raced downstairs and opened the front door. I was sure I would find devastation among the summer flowers lining the porch.
Instead, petunias, pansies and geraniums looked up in surprise, as if awakened from an early morning slumber. All was well. Even the pillows on the settee were still in place.
How could that be?
I knew what I had heard and felt. The wind was powerful. Yet somehow, everything remained standing.
It reminded me of the storms of life. Once the initial gusts of adversity have passed, we sometimes look around in amazement and realize—we’re still standing.
Headlines swirl. Nations rage. Marriages strain. Children stray. Storm clouds loom. We feel the weight of it all and sometimes try to prop one another up with familiar words: “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
But how do we actually become still when everything around us is blowing?
I’ve found one answer in the verses surrounding that familiar passage: “Behold the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 46:8–9)
When we stop long enough to behold what God has done, we’re reminded of His faithfulness.
We see His deliverance. We remember His power. And somehow, remembering what He has already done helps quiet our hearts and assures us He is still God.
Junior Garr and Emmanuel Smith express this beautifully in their soulful song:
“Though I can't see what's before me, I know that I can trust Your heart. And this one truth will be my story, You still reign and You're still God.”
Those words speak to me.
When we’re being tossed about in the wind tunnel of life, we may not understand what is happening or know what lies ahead. But we can pause, behold the works of the Lord, and marvel at His loving concern for every detail of our lives.
My #1 lifeline when I’m caught in the wind tunnel of life is 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” I’ve claimed that promise countless times.
And you know what? It works. Every time.
