God is There: Living Unafraid in Life’s Storms

The bus on which I was a passenger cruised east through the rugged Rocky Mountains before turning north. We drove through miles of rolling sage-covered hills and acres of evergreens charred by recent forest fires, past lakes and log cabins, and alongside rivers and ranches where cattle grazed. 

I’d traveled this road more than fifteen times and always marveled at the scenery’s beauty, but this time I saw something different: ominous black clouds. I’ve seen rain clouds many times in my life, but they never looked like this. These hovered menacingly over the horizon like a big, bad bully daring us to approach. The only way to reach our destination is to drive through the deluge, I thought.

Facing life’s storms with courage

The likeness to our life’s journey astounded me. At some point, we all face those ominous black clouds, and we have no option but to drive through the storm: the loss of loved one, an unexpected medical diagnosis, financial troubles, infertility, and betrayal, to name a few.

None of us choose that route. We’d all rather take a detour to bypass the onslaught. But here’s the good news: God’s children don’t go through life’s storms alone. We can be confident this is true because of who God is.

Psalm 139 is one of my favorite scripture passages because it so vividly reminds us of God’s presence and involvement in our lives.