Still babysitting the grandchildren. We had to get up around four o’clock this morning and head to the basement storage room because of an emergency tornado warning. Never seen the word “emergency” on a warning but I jumped out of the bed when the phone pinged and the weather siren started blaring. I waked the children. They grabbed their pillows and a blanket, called their dog Magnolia, and we scrambled down two flights of stairs dragging our blankets like Linus van Pelt from the Peanuts characters. I said a quick prayer as I hobbled down the stairs knowing I was responsible for the safety of these precious children.

The children were not afraid, secure in their safe space with their dog and me. They lay their heads down and covered up and we laughed and talked. We found a box of photographs and looked through their parents’ prom photos. I was thinking of my children as I watched their sweet faces light up, telling them we left their daddy’s pacifier at home once hurrying to their Aunt Rara’s house during a tornado warning.

In the Bible tornadoes are called whirlwinds. Dramatic weather events highlight God’s presence and power. Jeremiah 10:13 reads, “When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” I love this verse in Job 37:11, “He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.” The imagery of God filling the clouds with water and scattering lightning through them sketches a photo of God’s beautifully weathered hands in my mind — hands soft enough to comfort a baby, hands strong enough to carry us and our burdens, hands powerful enough to hold the world on its axis.

We all think of God’s power when we experience thunder and lightning, rain and wind. He calms the storms, stretches the rainbow across the heavens. We can see spiritual lessons in the seasons of God’s creation. Insurance companies call uncontrolled events such as tornadoes, floods and tsunamis an act of God, referring to a severe, unanticipated natural event for which no human is responsible. Psalm 46:1-2 proclaims, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

Bible scripture tells us “the Lord is slow to anger and great in power…his way is whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” When nature is harsh we need to learn to lean on God and his strength to help us weather the storms. When life is challenging remember the words from Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

“For every storm, a rainbow, For every tear, a smile, For every care, a promise, And a blessing in each trial.” — Paulo Coelho